What is trigeminal neuralgia?
Trigeminal neuralgia is a neurological disorder that occurs in the area of the trigeminal nerve in the face and is often unbearable. The pain can occur in paroxysms when talking, brushing teeth or when the breeze hits the face. The pain can be severe in paroxysms lasting for seconds or minutes, with periodic episodes of pain. In clinical practice, there are usually two types of pain: primary and secondary. Ninety percent of primary trigeminal neuralgia is caused by vascular compression. Secondary trigeminal neuralgia is often caused by local infection, trauma, narrowing of the bone foramen through which the trigeminal nerve passes, tumors, vascular malformations, and blood circulation disorders.
How to protect trigeminal neuralgia?
Trigeminal neuralgia is caused by vascular compression, so personal protection plays a pivotal role in the degree of attack and the number of attacks, and proper patient management can reduce symptoms and make it less likely to recur.
1, keep a happy spirit, usually should regulate their own interests, avoid mental stimulation, do not impulsive, angry, depressed.
2, regular living, to ensure adequate sleep and rest, avoid overwork; indoor environment should be quiet, clean, fresh air; appropriate to participate in sports, exercise, to enhance physical fitness.
3, pay attention to head and face warmth, avoid local freezing, moisture, do not use too cold, too hot water to wash the face.
4, diet should be regular. Choose soft, easy-to-chew food. Patients with pain induced by chewing should eat a liquid diet, not spicy and stimulating, too acidic and too sweet food and cold food; diet should be nutritious, eat more vitamin-rich and detoxifying food; eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and beans, less fatty meat and more lean meat, food should be light. Avoid eating too salty and fatty, greasy food, ban smoking, less alcohol.
5, eating, talking, brushing teeth, washing face action should be gentle, so as not to induce plate machine point and cause trigeminal neuralgia. Pay attention to the cleanliness of the oral cavity and the skin of the affected cheek. When trigeminal neuralgia attacks, patients often rub the affected cheek in order to relieve pain, which can easily lead to skin breakdown and infection, so it is necessary to keep the skin clean and hygienic to prevent infection.
6, softening blood vessels, prevention of hypertension and and diabetes: hypertension, diabetes patients take drugs on time to control blood pressure and blood sugar. When the blood vessels are softened, trigeminal neuralgia is less likely to recur.
Precautions for trigeminal nerve radiofrequency thermal coagulation
Trigeminal nerve hemimelia radiofrequency thermal coagulation is a minimally invasive interventional surgical treatment. The procedure is performed under intravenous general anesthesia, using image-guided localization and radiofrequency needles to block the nociceptive nerve while preserving the motor and sensory nerves. Compared with other traditional therapies, it is superior in terms of efficacy, safety, less trauma, fewer complications and lower cost. In order to ensure the smooth operation and good results, your cooperation is essential.
I. Pre-operative preparation
1.If you have fever, cold, menstrual cycle of female patients, skin damage or infection, please report to the doctor in time, and you should consider suspending the operation.
2, the day before the operation, please clean the head and face, haircut, shaving: because of the injection in the face next to the corner of the mouth and the site is deep, and after the operation to keep the puncture port dry, so the preoperative should be well enough clean, to reduce the possibility of infection.
3, 8 hours before surgery, strict fasting and drinking: intravenous general anesthesia is required during surgery, to ensure safety, fasting preparation is required. If you feel hungry, you can tell the nurse to give intravenous fluids to supplement nutrition.
4, drug preparation: generally do not prohibit drugs, oral drugs can be served with a small amount of warm water. Because of the treatment operation may make blood pressure and blood sugar rise, need to tell the doctor the original hypotensive drugs and hypoglycemic drugs and need to strengthen the application.
5. Avoid leaving the bed as much as possible 2 hours before the operation and cooperate with the preoperative preparation: remove your own clothes, jewelry, watch, earrings, dentures, etc., and wear patient clothes alone to be sent to the intervention room. The nurse will put an indwelling needle on you (for the convenience of the doctor’s operation, the left hand is usually chosen), and the indwelling needle can be left in place for 3-7 days, during which the dressing area must be kept dry and clean.
II. Intraoperative cooperation
6. In order to ensure the sterility of the treatment, the surgeon needs to fix the patient’s hands and feet with cloth tape in the operation room. Please tell the surgeon verbally if you feel anything during the operation and insist on the immobilization of your own body, especially the head.
7. The patient’s cooperation is required to ensure that the needle tip is in place and that the thermal coagulation is appropriate. When the surgeon tests the facial skin during the operation, please clearly state your sensations such as: ① normal pain ② no pain but sensation ③ numbness but sensation ④ numbness and no sensation at all, generally ② ③ is appropriate.
III. Postoperative attention
8, postoperative bed rest, after the anesthetic reaction disappears, you can enter the warm and cool liquid and soft diet.
9.Eat with the key side and rinse your mouth with salt water after each meal to keep your mouth clean.
10.The original drug carbamazepine continue to be taken, and gradually reduce the dosage when it is completely painless, and stop the drug within two weeks.
11.Post-operative reactions: some patients may experience dizziness, nausea and vomiting, which will disappear after a few hours, or still have pain for 1 to 2 weeks after treatment, which may heal on its own.
12, post-operative facial sensory loss and numbness of teeth are normal phenomena and can generally be relieved by themselves 1 to 3 months after surgery.
13.Adhere to the functional exercise of cheek puffing, mouth opening and teeth clenching, at least 3 times a day, 15-20 minutes each time.
14.Masticatory muscle strength will be reduced after the third treatment, so it should be noted within half a year: open the mouth forcefully before bedtime and after waking up every day, for 5 seconds each time, and exercise ten times in total.
15.After the first treatment, the corneal reflex will be reduced, and the symptoms will disappear after 3 to 5 weeks, and attention should be paid within six months to
① avoid going to places with a lot of dust and heavy pollution.
② Wear flat glasses when going out.
③ Do not wipe with your hands if you have dry eyes and strange sensations.