Affiliation:
1. University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, USA
2. Barrow Neurological Institute, USA
Abstract
In this chapter, the authors discuss the use of glycerol rhizotomy (GR) as a treatment modality for trigeminal neuralgia. GR was first described by Håkanson and has been used for more than 40 years as a minimally invasive, safe option for the management of facial pain. Here, the authors discuss the history behind the discovery of GR, relevant biochemical mechanisms of neurolysis, indications, a step-by-step procedural outline for GR and intraoperative cisternography, potential side effects, efficacy of treatment, and new applications for the imaging technique. GR has stood the test of time in neurosurgery, and this chapter demonstrates its utility in patients who are poor surgical candidates for microvascular decompression and for whom medical treatment has failed to manage their intractable pain.