What is trigeminal neuralgia? Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), also called painful twitching, presents as an intermittent stabbing pain in the face. Trigeminal neuralgia attacks one of the largest nerves in the head, the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve sends nerve impulses from the face, jaw, gums, forehead, and around the eyes, transmitting sensations of touch, pain, pressure, and temperature to the brain. What are the causes of trigeminal neuralgia? The most common cause of trigeminal neuralgia is the compression of nerves near the brainstem by blood vessels. Over time, changes in the blood vessels of the brain can cause them to rub against the trigeminal nerve roots. With each heartbeat, the nerve is subjected to constant friction, the insulating outer membrane of the nerve is worn away, and causes the nerve to become irritated. What are the symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia? Trigeminal neuralgia is a sudden, sharp, electric shock-like or stabbing pain that lasts for a few seconds. The areas where the pain is felt are the face and around the lips, eyes, nose, scalp and forehead. Symptoms occur when brushing teeth, applying makeup, touching the face, swallowing, or even feeling a breeze. Trigeminal neuralgia is often considered to be one of the most painful conditions in medicine. Usually, the pain is felt on one side of the jaw or cheek, but some people feel pain on both sides at different times. The pain can recur over and over again. Pain episodes can last for a day and come on at some point over a period of days, weeks, or months. Sometimes, the pain can go on for months or years without an attack. This dysfunction is more common in women than men and is almost never seen in people younger than 50 years of age. How is trigeminal neuralgia diagnosed? Magnetic resonance MRI can be used to determine if a tumor or multiple sclerosis is irritating the trigeminal nerve. In addition, there is no test that can confirm the diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia with certainty. However, tests can help rule out other facial dysfunction disorders. Trigeminal neuralgia is usually diagnosed based on the condition described by the patient. How to treat trigeminal neuralgia? 1. Drug therapy: Representative drugs are antiepileptic drugs such as carbamazepine or gabapentin, clonazepam and sodium bivalate are also effective. Combination medications are also available. Some antidepressants can also relieve pain. Our Chinese herbal medicine, allantoin capsule, is effective for this disease. 2, transcutaneous electrical stimulation: transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) is an ancient physical therapy, which is characterized by non-invasive, safe and easy. Systematic experimental and clinical studies have been conducted on this therapy, and clear conclusions have been reached: 25% of patients with trigeminal neuralgia can be completely relieved by TENS; 50% are effective but not completely controlled; the remaining 25% are completely ineffective. This method is especially suitable for old and frail patients who do not tolerate drugs or invasive treatment, and some patients with trigeminal neuralgia whose surgical and interventional treatments are ineffective or recurrent also have satisfactory results. 3.Local surface analgesia: This is a quick and simple method to relieve pain, which has immediate effect on patients in urgent need of analgesia. Although it is only a temporary expedient to relieve pain, it is very practical and safe for trigeminal neuralgia patients with severe pain, urgent pain relief or critical illnesses such as severe heart or advanced age. 4.Nerve block: Nerve block therapy includes both temporary and permanent. For trigeminal neuralgia of short duration, temporary block can be used, and some patients can be cured. The advantage of temporary block is that the nerve function can be preserved and no sequelae will be left. Permanent nerve block is suitable for cases that have been untreated for a long time or where surgery or radiofrequency is ineffective or recurrent. Permanent nerve block can leave facial numbness and slight facial paralysis, but most recover within weeks or months. 5, radiofrequency ablation: including pulse stimulation and cauterization of the trigeminal nerve two, the efficacy is more accurate. Disadvantages are higher cost and complications such as facial numbness. 6.Surgery: The standard surgical method is neurovascular decompression, which has the advantage of complete preservation of nerve function and low recurrence rate, and is suitable for patients with occupations requiring high facial expression, such as leading cadres and actors. However, it needs to be performed under general anesthesia, and the craniotomy itself has certain risks. The neurosurgery team led by Guoqiang Chen has completed thousands of such surgeries, which is a world leader. 7, computer navigation: after CT scan, after three computer reconstruction can be accurately calculated and real-time monitoring and guidance interventional treatment puncture access, direction and target, so that the operation is not only accurate, fast, and greatly reduce complications.