Symptoms and treatment of area spasms and trigeminal neuralgia

  Facial muscle spasm: a chronic disease characterized by paroxysmal involuntary twitching of the unilateral facial muscles. Clinical manifestations are rapid and frequent twitching of facial muscles, starting mostly from the corner of the eye, then involving the ipsilateral corner of the mouth, in severe cases, the ipsilateral eye cannot be opened, the corner of the mouth is skewed to the ipsilateral side with the neck muscle twitching, some patients can be accompanied by ipsilateral hearing loss. It seriously affects the quality of life of patients.  Trigeminal neuralgia: It is the recurrent occurrence of episodic, transient, electric shock-like severe pain in the distribution area of the trigeminal nerve on the face. Commonly, it is the pain of the 2nd branch of the trigeminal nerve, the 3rd branch of the (maxillary nerve) and the (mandibular nerve). It manifests as pain in the skin between the eye and mouth fissures, upper lip, maxillary teeth and gums, hard and soft palate, nasal cavity, maxillary sinus and nasopharynx mucosa, skin below the auriculotemporal region and mouth fissures, teeth and gums in the mandible, anterior 2/3 of the tongue, mucosa at the floor of the mouth, external auditory canal and tympanic membrane, etc. partially accompanied by impairment of facial sensation and masticatory movements.  Etiology: common etiology caused by nerve root compression, divided into primary and secondary.  1, primary facial muscle spasm, trigeminal neuralgia: is due to the facial nerve, trigeminal nerve root compression by blood vessels, the pulsation of blood vessels make facial nerve and trigeminal nerve abnormal discharge, resulting in the appearance of clinical symptoms.  2.Secondary facial muscle spasm and trigeminal neuralgia: secondary to tumor compression, trigeminal neuralgia is common. Facial muscle spasm is often transformed into facial muscle spasm after tumor compression and facial paralysis.  Treatment: a. Secondary facial muscle spasm and trigeminal neuralgia are generally treated for the cause, mostly by surgical removal of the occupying lesion.  (2) Primary facial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia are currently treated by surgical and non-surgical methods.  (1) Non-surgical treatment methods commonly used in clinical practice: (1) Treatment of area spasm: (1) Oral drugs: carbamazepine, phenytoin sodium. Short-term effective, long-term effect is poor, common side effects: granulocytopenia, simple thrombocytopenia, leading to blood disease, and can make memory loss, vision, hearing loss, liver function damage, etc.  (2) Local injection: Botulinum toxin injection is applied, which works for 3 months-8 months and can be repeated. It is a symptomatic treatment, not a radical method.  2, trigeminal neuralgia (1) oral western medicine: carbamazepine, Deltamethrin, phenytoin sodium and other drugs mentioned above can temporarily relieve pain or relieve pain. These drugs are drug-resistant, and their effect is getting worse. Common side effects: granulocytopenia, simple thrombocytopenia, leading to blood disorders, and can cause memory loss, vision, hearing loss, liver function damage, etc.  (2) Closure treatment : The use of acupuncture point injection drugs (anhydrous alcohol, glycerin, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, etc.), paralysis block nerves, to play a symptom relief temporary pain relief effect. The pain relief effect is not good after several times of closure.  (3) Radiofrequency (RF): Also called thermocoagulation, the pain is relieved by piercing the hemimelia with a puncture needle and using a radiofrequency instrument to generate electrical heat in the tissue to selectively destroy the fibers that conduct nociception according to the different temperatures tolerated by different nerve fibers. It is easy to recur. It is easy to relapse, and some patients have poorer results when treated with other methods after relapse.  (4) Acupuncture and laser treatment: can often relieve pain for a time. It can be repeatedly applied. It is symptomatic treatment and easy to relapse.  (2) Surgery: Microvascular decompression surgery (MVD surgery): minimally invasive surgery, which is targeted at the root cause of facial muscle spasm and trigeminal neuralgia by vascular compression, is a radical surgery. The one-time cure rate of facial muscle spasm is about 98%, and the one-time cure rate of trigeminal neuralgia is about 95%, and the recurrence rate is low.