Single cycle, low temperature radiofrequency ablation is effective for trigeminal neuralgia

Abstract

Background & Objective: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is the most common cause of neuropathic pain with few issues regarding medications whereas surgeries need careful consideration. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) can be used as an intervention treatment bridging the gap of long-term medication and surgical intervention. RFA procedure has its own complications following electrode placement and ablation procedures. We analyzed the effectiveness of low temperature RFA treatment in patients with trigeminal neuralgia. Methodology: This study was a prospective analysis of the data from the medical records of 21 patients. A single cycle of RFA  at 60° C of for 90 sec was performed from November 2018 to July 2019. Data collection included preoperative pain scores, analgesics prescribed, pain  scores on numerical rating scale (NRS) for 6 months follow up. Results: The subjects 53.86 ± 10.48 y (43% men and 57% women) observed NRS decrease significantly (mean 2.15, SD 0.9; p < 0.05). No significant influence of analgesic combination gabapentin and Amitriptyline, or carbamazepine and Amitriptyline to pain spectrum improvement underwent RFA. Conclusion: A single cycle of of RFA treatment at 60° C for 90 sec among TN patients showed significant improvement of pain at 6 months without complications. Abbreviations: TN: trigeminal neuralgia; NMDA: N-methyl-d-aspartate GABA: gamma aminobutyric acid; TCA: tricyclic antidepressant; MVD: microvascular decompression; RFA: radiofrequency ablation; PRF: pulsed radiofrequency; NRS: numerical rating score; SNRI: serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor Citation: Budisulistyo T, Arlina Y. Single cycle, low temperature radiofrequency ablation for trigeminal neuralgia shows clinical improvement of pain. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2022;26(5):669-673. DOI: 10.35975/apic.v26i5.2024