Trigeminal Neuralgia

Intermittent, intense, stabbing pain in certain areas of the face is often a symptom of a disorder called Trigeminal Neuralgia. The electric-shock-like pain can often be brought on by a seemingly trivial touch of the face, teeth, or gums, or by such things as a gust of wind, shaving, applying makeup, brushing teeth, eating or drinking. Trigeminal Neuralgia is a disorder of the fifth cranial (Trigeminal) nerve that causes episodes of intense, stabbing pain in the areas of the face where the branches of the nerve are distributed - lips, eyes, nose, scalp, forehead, upper jaw, and lower jaw.

Approximately 14,000 new cases of Trigeminal Neuralgia (also called tic douloureux) are diagnosed in the United States each year. The cause of trigeminal neuralgia is not always certain. The disorder is more common in women than in men and rarely affects anyone younger than 50.

If you or a loved one suffer from Trigeminal Neuralgia, the Gamma Knife at Baptist Cancer Institute offers a non-invasive treatment option. The Gamma Knife procedure is typically done on an outpatient basis, with local anesthesia. There is no incision and the actual treatment is painless. Gamma Knife has proven successful (i.e., pain relief for more than two years without recurrence) in 84% of the cases ¹.

¹Dheerendra Prasad, M.D., Clinical Review (December 2002)