Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), also known as the “suicide disease,” is a rare nerve disorder that is characterized by excruciating facial pain triggered by everyday activities such as talking, chewing, or swallowing. The pain associated with TN is often debilitating and impairs the quality of life for people suffering from the condition.
TN can occur when a blood vessel compresses the fifth cranial nerve, one of the largest nerves in the head. Many times, no cause can be found. As the pain intensifies, patients find themselves unable to predict what may trigger the next episode.
Treatment may include medications, nerve blocks, or surgery. Medications are usually the first treatment option. These drugs can reduce the frequency of attacks and provide pain relief but often have side effects like dizziness, drowsiness, and nausea. Nerve blocks only provide temporary relief and usually require multiple injections. If medications are ineffective or cause intolerable side effects, surgery, such as stereotactic radiosurgery, may be an ideal option.
With stereotactic radiosurgery, treatment is typically a one-time, outpatient procedure, and pain is reduced or eliminated in about 85 to 90 percent of patients. Using CyberKnife® technology, Oklahoma CyberKnife performs stereotactic radiosurgery, a nonsurgical method of treating certain types of tumors and conditions like TN with high-dose radiation beams delivered in five or fewer treatments. To treat a patient with TN, CyberKnife delivers very precise radiation beams to a targeted segment of the trigeminal nerve to interrupt pain-causing fibers. The pinpoint accuracy of the procedure spares healthy tissue and allows the physicians to treat difficult-to-reach targets without traditional surgery or sedation.
If you, or a loved one, is dealing with the agonizing pain of TN, let us help. Contact Oklahoma CyberKnife and schedule an appointment today.