Prognosis of Trigeminal Neuralgia When Enrolled in a Multidisciplinary Management Program

Danish Headache Center186 enrolled

Overview

Background: Prognosis of medically treated trigeminal neuralgia patients is assumed to be poor, but the evidence is lacking. Thus, prospective real-life studies of medical management of trigeminal neuralgia are warranted. Methods: Observational study. Patients were consecutively enrolled in a structured management program at a specialist centre for facial pain. Optimisation of medical treatment, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, and advice from trained nurses, were parts of the program. Medically intractable patients were referred for neurosurgery. Data-collection was prospective using standardised schemes and patient surveys. The aim was to describe the two-year outcome of medical treatment at the specialist centre. The primary outcome was a 50% reduction in the overall burden of pain according to a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) after two years. This study aimed to provide evidence concerning the real-life efficacy of medical management of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) when directed by specialists. The investigatgors hypothesised that the two-year prognosis in a group of medically managed TN patients enrolled in a structured multidisciplinary management program was favourable, defined as a 50 % reduction of the overall burden of pain over a two-year period

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

186

Conditions

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALL

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion criteria: 1. recordings of the intensity of pain at enrolment of the programme (baseline recording), 2. a two-year assessment (end-point recording), 3. recording of effect and side-effects of drug treatment (at baseline and endpoint). The exclusion criteria 1. initiation of medical treatment at the DHC before May 2012, 2. neurosurgical treatment of TN within the two-year follow-up 3. incomplete two-year follow-up

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

change in overall burden of pain NRS over a two-year period

Defined as a good outcome, i.e number of patients who had a reduction of minimum 50% on the NRS two years after enrolment in the management program compared with baseline

Time frame: 2 years

Secondary Outcomes

No changes of the overall burden of pain NRS over the two-year follow-up period

Defined as poor outcome, i.e number of patients who had a no reduction the NRS two years after enrolment in the management program compared with baseline

Time frame: 2 years