Dr. Anthony D’Ambrosio; Photo by Sal Benedetto
The facial pain syndrome, trigeminal neuralgia, has been called the “suicide disease”– The pain can be that severe.
Some patients are helped with medication, but when they are not, non-invasive Gamma Knife Radiosurgery can be an answer. Treatment with the Gamma Knife involves highly focused beams of radiation. Dr. Anthony D’Ambrosio helped a patient recently who was featured in the New Jersey newspaper The Record.
Charles Schofield was experiencing extreme facial pain that made everyday activities such as showering and eating difficult. A neurologist diagnosed him with trigeminal neuralgia and prescribed medication. Unfortunately, the medicine affected Charles’ ability to do his job, so he sought help at The Valley Hospital’s Gamma Knife Center.
Tests there showed that Charles had a tangled mass of arteries and veins, called an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), that was putting pressure on his trigeminal nerve. Irritation to this nerve, located on the side of the patient’s face, was the cause of his pain.
“Gamma Knife radiosurgery is safe and effective for targeting specific areas without damaging surrounding tissue,” says Dr. D’Ambrosio. “This makes it a valuable tool in the fight against facial pain.”
The Gamma Knife treatment was able to shrink the AVM and relieve the pressure on the nerve. The result was significantly less pain for Charles and a big improvement in his daily life. Learn more in The Record’s article here.
Learn more about Dr. Anthony D’Ambrosio on his bio page here.
Learn more about The Valley Hospital’s Gamma Knife Center here.
