The treatment of trigeminal neuralgia in patients with multiple sclerosis using percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy

BACKGROUND: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) has a higher incidence among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in the general population. This cohort of MS patients with TN presents a series of management challenges including poor tolerance of antineuralgic medications and occasional bilateral presentation. We analyzed our surgical series of MS patients presenting with TN who were treated with percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy to estimate the success, failure and recurrence rate of this procedure for those patients. METHODS: Surgical reports were retrospectively reviewed between the years 1996-2000. Patients with MS and TN who received a percutaneous rhizotomy during that time were included in the study and followed until the end of 2002. Data regarding age, sex, duration of MS and pain, response to medical treatment, pain distribution and surgical outcome were evaluated. RESULTS: There were thirteen patients with MS and medically refractory TN treated with percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy. The average age at diagnosis for MS was 41 with TN beginning an average of eight years later. Following rhizotomy, complete pain relief without the need for any medication was achieved in 81% of the patients. The addition of medications resulted in pain control in the remaining patients. During a mean follow-up period of 52 months, there was a 50% recurrence rate. There were no complications related to the procedure and the associated facial numbness was well-tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy is a safe and effective method for the treatment of TN in patients with MS. The unique susceptibility of this cohort to the side effects of antineuralgic medications may require early consideration of rhizotomy.     

Trends in surgical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia in the United States of America from 1988 to 2008

Current surgical treatments for refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN) include microvascular decompression (MVD), percutaneous rhizotomy, and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). We aimed to map the trends of utilization of these procedures in the USA and examine factors associated with morbidities and discharge outcome. We performed a retrospective cohort study with time trends of patients admitted to US hospitals for TN between 1988 and 2008 who received MVD, percutaneous rhizotomy, or SRS as reported in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine patient demographics, hospital characteristics, and other hospitalization factors affecting complications and discharges. The use of MVD increased significantly by 194% from 1988 to 2008 while rhizotomy decreased by 92%. The use of radiosurgery, introduced in the early 1990s, peaked in 2004 and has declined since. Univariate analysis revealed patient age, length of hospitalization, hospital teaching status, and hospital patient volume to be associated with discharge and complications. Multivariate analysis showed that for MVD, younger age and high hospital volume were predictive of a good discharge outcome. For rhizotomy, age, median income, urban location, and hospital volumes were associated with discharge outcome, but only teaching status, urban location, and hospital volume were associated with complications. For SRS, patient age and length of stay were found to be important by multivariate analysis on discharge. Mortality rates for MVD (0.22%), rhizotomy (0.42%), and SRS (0.12%) were low. The clinical practices for surgical treatment of TN have evolved over time with the rise of MVD and dwindling of rhizotomy procedures.     

The role of percutaneous balloon compression in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia recurring after other surgical procedures

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) recurring after surgery can be difficult to treat. Treatment algorithms have not been standardized or universally accepted. Here we investigated the effectiveness of percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) in the treatment of patients with TN recurrence after other surgical techniques and analyzed the role of some clinical and operative factors in determining the prognosis. The records of 22 patients (13 M and 9 F) suffering recurrent TN after one (2 gamma knife surgery, 5 percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy, 6 percutaneous retrogasserian glycerol rhizotomy, 3 microvascular decompression) or more (6 patients) procedures and submitted to PBC at our institution from January 2003 to February 2012 were reviewed. Seven patients had TN related to multiple sclerosis (MS). Mean follow-up was 51.81 ± 26.63 months. 81.81 % of patients reported an acute pain relief. No major complication was observed after PBC. Eight patients (36.36 %) experienced pain recurrence and underwent one (five patients) or more (three patients) PBC. At the last follow-up, we obtained an excellent outcome (BNI I–II) in 16 patients out of 22 (72.72 %) and a good outcome (BNI III) in the remaining six. No patients had an uncontrolled pain. The lack of history of MS (p = 0.0174), the pear-like shape of the balloon at the operation (p = 0.0234) and a compression time <5 min (p < 0.05) were associated to higher pain-free survival. Considering these results PBC could be considered a useful technique for patients whose pain recurs after other procedures.     

Leksell伽玛刀治疗原发性三叉神经痛46例报告

目的 评估伽玛刀在治疗原发性三叉神经痛中的作用与地位。方法 用1．5Tesla MRI行三堆超薄立体定位快速扫描。对46例原发性三叉神经痛病人行LEKSELL伽玛刀放射手术治疗，4mm准直器，中心刺量70～90Gy。靶点设定为三叉神经感觉根入桥脑处。结果 用标准咨询法对病人进行疗效评估。放射手术治疗前后疼痛按Ⅰ～Ⅳ级评分。Ⅰ级：无痛；Ⅱ级：偶发疼痛。不需用药；Ⅲ级。轻度疼痛。服药能控制；Ⅳ级。疼痛不能用药控制。46例病人中Ⅰ级26例(56．5％)。Ⅱ级9例(19．5％)。Ⅲ级7例(15．2％)。Ⅳ级4例(8．6％)。此外有4例病人疼痛复发。并接受第二次伽玛刀手术治疗。症状完全缓解。3例病人(6．5％)有迟发性的面部感觉丧失。无其他并发症发生。结论 伽玛刀放射外科手术是一种安全有效治疗三叉神经痛的高科技方法。应用性强。我们认为只要诊断成立。就可考虑施行伽玛刀手术治疗。     

Trigeminal neuralgia due to lengthy AVM treatment. A case report

The authors presented a case of iatrogenic trigeminal neuralgia in a 46-year-old man with a dural arteriovenous malformation (AVM) previously treated by means of intravascular embolization. At first, microvascular decompression (MVD) in the posterior fossa was performed, but unfortunately the pain persisted. Subsequently, percutaneous stereotactic radiofrequency rhizotomy was carried out. The procedure was uneventful and brought about an immediate pain relief.     

CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of patients with trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a disabling disease with severe impairment of quality of life and everyday activity of patients. Range of treatment modalities is wide and includes conservative therapy, surgical methods and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). SRS is a minimally invasive technique which provides good results and minimal rate of complications. High geometrical and clinical precision of frameless SRS using CyberKnife system allows its application in TN when high dose is delivered to a small volume. The given paper focuses on the first Russian experience of frameless SRS of TN using robotized system CyberKnife. Since April 2009 till June 2011 4 patients with TN were treated in department for radiation therapy of Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute using CyberKnife system. Mean age was 63 years. Mean and maximal target dose reached 70 and 90 Gy, respectively. Data of catamnestic clinical examination were available in all 4 patients. Follow-up period reached 8 months. Response to treatment was observed in all cases. In 2 (50%) patients full effect was reached while in the rest only partial effect was present. No complications were encountered. Effectiveness and safety of SRS using CyberKnife system is comparable with framed SRS.     

Surgical Management of Medically Refractory Trigeminal Neuralgia

The role of surgery for patients with medically refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is well established. High-quality magnetic resonance imaging, including gadolinium-enhanced and volume acquisition sequences, should be performed to exclude intracranial tumors or demyelinating disease as the cause of the pain, as well as to clearly demonstrate the trigeminal nerve and adjacent blood vessels. For physiologically healthy patients with Type 1 TN, a microvascular decompression (MVD) is the preferred surgical approach because of its high rate of complete pain relief, the durability of the pain relief, and the fact that trigeminal injury is not required for pain relief. Patients with recurrent TN after a failed MVD, patients with significant medical comorbidities, and patients with multiple sclerosis–related TN are generally recommended to undergo less invasive, destructive surgical techniques aimed at providing pain relief by damaging the trigeminal nerve.     

Clinical outcomes of 114 patients who underwent Gamma-knife radiosurgery for medically refractory idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia

The optimal radiation dose and target of Gamma-knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for medically refractory idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) are contentious. We investigated the effects and trigeminal nerve deficits of GKRS using two isocenters to treat a great length of the trigeminal nerve. Between January 2005 and March 2010, 129 patients with idiopathic TN underwent GKRS at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University. A maximum central dose of 80-90 Gy was delivered to the trigeminal nerve root with two isocenters via a 4 mm collimator helmet. One hundred and fourteen patients were followed-up periodically by telephone interview to determine the effects, trigeminal nerve deficits and time to the onset of pain relief. The mean follow-up duration was 29.6 months. One hundred and nine patients had complete or partial pain relief and the treatment failed in five patients. Nine patients experienced a recurrence after a mean time of 12.7 months, following an initial interval of pain relief. There were no significant differences between patients with different grades of pain relief with respect to central doses. The mean time to the onset of pain relief was 3.6 weeks. The time to the onset of complete pain relief was significantly shorter than that for partial pain relief. Forty-nine patients reported mild-to-moderate facial numbness and one patient experienced paroxysmal temporalis muscle spasms two weeks after the treatment. GKRS treatment for medically refractory idiopathic TN with two isocenters resulted in an initial pain improvement in 95.6% of patients. The early response to the treatment might suggest a good outcome but, given the high incidence of nerve deficits, GKRS for TN with two isocenters is not recommended as a routine treatment protocol.     

Radiosurgery Compared with External Radiation Therapy as a Primary Treatment in Spine Metastasis from Hepatocellular Carcinoma : A Multicenter,Matched-Pair Study

Objective

The aim of this multicenter, matched-pair study was to compare the outcomes of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and conventional external radiation therapy (RT) when used as a primary treatment in spine metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

From 2005 to 2012, 28 patients underwent SRS as the primary treatment in spine metastasis from HCC. Based on sex, age, number of spine metastasis, Child-Pugh classification, interval from original tumor to spine metastasis, and year of treatment, 28 patients who underwent RT were paired. Outcomes of interest were pain relief, progression free survival, toxicities, and further treatment.

Results

The perioperative visual analog scale (VAS) decrease was larger in SRS group than in RT group, but the difference was not significant (3.7 vs. 2.8, p=0.13). When pain medication was adjusted, the number of patients with complete (n=6 vs.3) or partial (n=12 vs.13) relief was larger in SRS group than in RT group; however, the difference was not significant (p=0.83). There was no significant difference in progression free survival (p=0.48). In SRS group, 32.1% of patients had 1 or more toxicities whereas the percentage in RT group was 63.0%, a significant difference (p=0.04). Six SRS patients and 7 RT patients received further intervention at the treated segment.

Conclusion

Clinical and radiological outcome were not significantly different between the two treatments. Toxicities, however, were more prevalent in the RT group.     

Outcomes of gamma knife radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia after a minimum 3-year follow-up

We conducted a retrospective study of the outcomes of 17 patients who underwent gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) with a minimum 3-year follow-up. The median interval from GKRS to pain improvement was 4 weeks (range, 1-16 weeks). At the last follow-up, a good treatment outcome was verified in 16 (94.1%) patients (Barrow Neurologic Index pain score, I-IIIb). One patient (5.9%) had treatment failure. On follow up, six patients (35.3%) had a recurrence of pain following some initial relief. Mean time to pain recurrence was 20 months (range, 3-36 months). Four patients (23.5%) experienced treatment-related complications. Three patients reported some degree of post-treatment facial numbness. One patient reported decreased corneal sensation (dry eye syndrome). GKRS is a safe and effective long-term treatment method for TN and should be considered as an alternative option for medically intractable TN.     

Treatment of atypical trigeminal neuralgia with microvascular decompression

AIM: To explore the methods for achieving pain relief in patients with atypical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) using microvascular decompression (MVD). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Retrospective study of 26 patients treated during the years 2000 to 2004. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients in whom vascular compression of the trigeminal nerve was identified by high definition magnetic resonance tomographic angiography (MRTA) were treated with MVD for atypical TN in our department. Clinical presentations, surgical findings and clinical outcomes were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: In this study, single trigeminal division was involved in only 2 patients (8%) and two or three divisions in the other 24 patients (92%). Of prime importance is the fact that in 46.2% of the patients, several conflicting vessels were found in association. Location of the conflicts around the circumference of the trigeminal root was supero-medial to the root in 53.5%, supero-lateral in 30.8% and inferior in 15.7%. MVD for atypical TN resulted in complete pain relief in 50% of the patients with complete decompression, partial pain relief in 30.8% and poor pain relief or pain recurrence in 19.2% of the patients without complete decompression postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Complete decompression of the entire trigeminal root plays an important role in achieving pain relief in patients with atypical TN with MVD.     

DZY-C型三叉神经立体定向仪在治疗三叉神经痛中的临床研究

目的 为了治疗三叉神经痛,使穿刺卵圆孔更加快捷与准确,获得好的解痛疗效,减少术中疼痛,术后并发症和复发率,研制成一种新的三叉神经立体定向仪(DZY-C型)供临床应用。方法 首先将病人头部固定在定向仪上,用普通X-线机摄取颅底片及侧位片,测算卵圆孔的位置,在定向仪的引导下穿刺针经卵圆孔进入三叉神经半月节及三叉神经节池。然后选择不同治疗方法,如射频热凝法、甘油注射或酒精注射法治疗原发性三叉神经痛。结果 实验研究及临床应用证明,该定向仪精度高,穿刺卵圆孔靶点的误差小于0.3mm。一次性穿刺的成功率高达100％。结论 三叉神经立体定向仪(DZY-C型)的结构设计合理,精密度高,达到临床应用的要求。手术操作简易,调节灵活,组织损伤少,使用安全。     

Paediatric Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation: Outcomes from a Singapore Children's Hospital

ObjectivesPaediatric brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM) is a rare and distinct clinical entity. There is a growing body of literature that support the success of multimodality approaches for this difficult condition. The authors aim to firstly, describe our institutional experience with a consecutive series of patients and next, corroborate our results with current literature.Material and methodsThis is a single institution, retrospective study conducted over a 20-year period. Patients less than 19 years old with bAVM were included. Variables of interest included patient demographics, clinical presentation, neuroimaging features, bAVM characteristics and treatment modality. Functional outcomes were measured with modified Rankin scale (mRS).ResultsThere were 58 paediatric bAVMs, presenting at a mean age of 8.7 ± 4.2 years, and followed up for a mean duration of 7.7 years. Thirty-six patients (62.1%) underwent microsurgical resection, 10 patients had stereotactic radiosurgery (17.2%) and 2 patients had endovascular treatment (3.4%). 50 patients (86.2%) had a favourable outcome at 1-year follow up. Microsurgical resection and SRS had similar obliteration rates (resection 83.3%; SRS 80.0%) and recurrence (resection 10.0%; SRS 12.5%). There were 6 cases of bAVM recurrence (12.8%). This subgroup was noted to be less than 7.5 years old at presentation (OR 15.0, 95% CI 1.56 – 144), and less likely to present with bAVM rupture (OR 0.11, 95% CI 0.01 – 0.96).ConclusionThis study describes our experience in managing paediatric bAVM, whereby monomodal therapy can still be effective. Of note, we also demonstrate the role of extended surveillance to detect recurrence.     

Virtual reality imaging technique in percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy for intractable trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is the most common facial neuralgia, and is extremely painful. We evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous controlled radiofrequency trigeminal rhizotomy (RFTR) assisted by a virtual reality (VR) imaging technique for idiopathic TN. A total of 2769 patients with TN underwent RFTR procedures between June 1986 and March 2007, with VR assisted guiding and electrode positioning in 26 patients from January 2006 to March 2007. A laminal basicranial CT scan (2 mm slice, 16 slices/s) was used during RFTR. The three-dimensional (3D) position of the electrode needle tip and the oval foramen can be seen clearly using this VR technique. The position and depth of the needle was adjusted according to the virtual 3D-CT scan. CT scanning was performed repeatedly until the needle tip was situated in the oval foramen. Usually, the tip of the electrode was adjusted once or twice. Acute pain relief was accomplished in the 26 patients who underwent a single RFTR procedure assisted with VR. No recurrence of pain was noted except in one patient after 16 months. There were no permanent complications or mortality. VR-assisted RFTR represents a minimally invasive, low-risk technique with a higher efficacy compared with traditional RFTR.     

不同分支三叉神经痛患者显微血管减压术后的疗效分析(附200例报告)

目的观察不同分支三叉神经痛(TN)患者显微血管减压术(MVD)后的疗效,分析影响预后的相关因素。方法回顾性分析2017年1月至2018年9月中南大学湘雅医院神经外科行MVD的TN患者的临床资料,共200例。其中疼痛累及范围位于三叉神经第1支(V1)分布区者7例,第2支(V2)分布区者23例,第3支(V3)分布区者27例,V1~V2分布区者29例,V2~V3分布区者64例,V1~V3分布区者50例。术后1个月、3个月、1年采用巴罗神经学研究所(BNI)疼痛强度评分标准评估疼痛缓解情况。分析影响疼痛缓解率的相关影响因素。结果200例患者中,术后1个月、3个月、1年的疼痛缓解率分别为91.5%(183例)、83.0%(166例)及67.0%(134例);其中166例累及分支包含V2支组的上述3个时间点的疼痛缓解率分别为89.8%(149例)、81.3%(135例)及64.5%(107例),34例累及分支未包含V2支组的疼痛缓解率分别为100.0%(34例)、91.2%(31例)、79.4%(27例)。两组比较,术后1年的疼痛缓解率差异有统计学意义(P=0.012)。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,累及分支包含V2支是TN患者MVD后疼痛缓解的独立危险因素(OR=0.688,95%CI:0.474~0.996,P=0.048)。结论累及分支包含V2支的TN患者,MVD后疼痛缓解率相对低于未累及者。     

Cushing’s disease: A single centre’s experience using the linear accelerator (LINAC) for stereotactic radiosurgery and fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy

Cushing’s disease is hypercortisolaemia secondary to an adrenocorticotrophic hormone secreting pituitary adenoma. Primary management is almost always surgical, with limited effective medical interventions available. Adjuvant therapy in the form of radiation is gaining popularity, with the bulk of the literature related to the Gamma Knife. We present the results from our own institution using the linear accelerator (LINAC) since 1990. Thirty-six patients who underwent stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), one patient who underwent fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) and for the purposes of comparison, 13 patients who had undergone conventional radiotherapy prior to 1990, were included in the analysis. Serum cortisol levels improved in nine of 36 (25%) SRS patients and 24 hour urinary free cortisol levels improved in 13 of 36 patients (36.1%). Tumour volume control was excellent in the SRS group with deterioration in only one patient (3%). The patient who underwent FSRT had a highly aggressive tumour refractory to radiation.     

显微血管减压术中单纯应用涤纶垫棉治疗基底动脉压迫所致三叉神经痛的临床疗效

目的初步探讨显微血管减压术中单纯应用涤纶垫棉治疗基底动脉压迫所致三叉神经痛的临床疗效。方法回顾性分析2012年1月至2019年12月陆军军医大学大坪医院神经外科收治的31例基底动脉压迫引发三叉神经痛患者的临床资料。31例患者在显微血管减压术中均单纯使用涤纶垫棉作为减压材料,且未使用其他减压方式。手术采用经乙状窦后入路,于脑干和责任动脉之间放置涤纶垫棉实现减压。采用巴罗神经学研究所(BNI)提出的疼痛分级评估手术效果。结果31例三叉神经痛患者中,27例(87.1%)术后疼痛即刻完全缓解(BNI分级Ⅰ级),3例在术后3个月内完全缓解(BNI分级Ⅰ级),1例疼痛部分缓解(BNI分级Ⅲ级)。5例(16.1%)患者术后出现面部感觉减退,其中3例自愈;1例患者出现渐进性听力下降。31例患者的随访时间为6~85个月(中位时间为40个月),随访期间有4例(12.9%)复发(BNI分级Ⅳ~Ⅴ级),其中2例再次接受手术治疗,另外2例采用立体定向放射治疗配合药物治疗可部分控制面部疼痛。结论显微血管减压术中单纯应用涤纶垫棉治疗基底动脉所致三叉神经痛的术后即刻效果显著,但其复发率及并发症的发生率较高。