If you are looking for information about atypical facial pain treatment, your suffering has undoubtedly been intense and of long duration. As this kind of pain is difficult to diagnose and does not respond well to medication, you have probably experienced much frustration in seeking relief. Because of the side effects of drug agents and their efficacy limitations, patients often choose a neurosurgical intervention such as microvascular decompression, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, percutaneous rhizotomy or pain stimulator placement. While each of these treatments is appropriate for certain patients, doctors deem microvascular decompression the best option for many.
Atypical facial pain can be due to an array of serious maladies, but the usual cause is trigeminal neuralgia. The disorder affects the trigeminal nerve, the structure that transmits sensory information from your face to your brain. While patients can be diagnosed with either classic or atypical trigeminal neuralgia, the latter type manifests as a continuous burning or crushing sensation affecting one side of the face. Unlike the classic variety, which comes with periods of remission, the atypical variety brings continuous agony.
What Medications Are Used?
Before considering neurosurgical procedures as a treatment for atypical facial pain, doctors try remediation with several classes of medication. These include antidepressants, anticonvulsants, opiates and topical anesthetics. The results of drug therapy for this type of trigeminal neuralgia are usually less satisfactory than the results of drug therapy for other facial pain syndromes. Although the objective of the use of medications is to manage pain with an endurable level of side effects, the realization of this goal often proves elusive.
Anticonvulsants can produce tolerance along with dizziness, drowsiness and confusion. Troublesome adverse reactions come with the other drugs as well. Since relatively high doses are often needed to alleviate pain, the resulting toxicity may make it necessary to look at neurosurgical solutions. If medications have failed to manage your pain, it is encouraging to know that you have a good likelihood of getting relief from one of the four interventions below.
Microvascular Decompression for Atypical Facial Pain
If you are younger and have the health needed to undergo conventional surgery, microvascular decompression is the first choice for your atypical facial pain treatment. It is a minimally invasive procedure that involves making a relatively small incision in the skull behind the ear. The incision permits your doctor to identify and gently reposition the blood vessel compressing your trigeminal nerve.
It can quickly eliminate or reduce pain in the majority of cases, but the pain may recur in some patients. The procedure carries some risk, so it is important to provide the doctor with your full medical history so that he or she can ascertain if you are a good candidate for the intervention.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Atypical Facial Pain
If you are older or have other health issues, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is a good option. This atypical facial pain treatment consists of delivering a highly concentrated dose of radiation to a precise target at the root of your trigeminal nerve. The action damages the nerve, which should result in a gradual reduction in pain over a course of several weeks. While your pain relief will be delayed rather than immediate, the procedure has a high level of safety. Since it does not involve an incision and general anesthesia, it avoids many of the risks that come with open surgery. Gamma Knife is successful in most patients, and it can be repeated if the pain recurs.
Percutaneous Rhizotomy for Atypical Facial Pain
A noninvasive procedure, percutaneous rhizotomy is performed on an outpatient basis. In this technique, your doctor will thread a specialized needle through your cheek to the base of the trigeminal nerve. Heat is used to destroy the part of the nerve producing the pain, thereby inhibiting pain signals to the brain. This procedure may result in some numbness, but that is a small price to pay for the alleviation of your suffering. Percutaneous rhizotomy can be customized, which means your doctor can adjust it to address the specific areas where your pain occurs. This procedure can be repeated as necessary to give you the most relief possible.
Pain Stimulator Implant
A pain stimulator implant is used when good results are not obtained with other procedures. It reduces and sometimes eliminates pain through an inserted electrode that disrupts nerve impulses to the brain. The intervention is moderately invasive and is performed under general anesthesia.
A pain stimulator implant is normally executed in two steps. A temporary electrode is implanted first, after which the effects are monitored. If you obtain at least a 50 percent reduction in pain, a permanent electrode will be implanted in a second surgery. Slight numbness may be a side effect of this atypical facial pain treatment.
The above interventions are not one-size-fits-all. Your doctor can examine you, weigh the benefits against the risks, and determine the treatment best suited for your needs. No guarantee exists, but the options have provided substantial pain relief for a large number of patients. Your journey to pain reduction starts with making an appointment with a neurosurgeon.
