How to cure the world’s first pain

  The ideal treatment for the disease would be a complete cure with no complications or side effects, which in fact is extremely rare.  There are many treatment methods for primary trigeminal neuralgia. In addition to pharmacological treatment, there are closure therapy, peripheral branch excision or extraction, transmedullary trigeminal spinal bundle dissection, trigeminal sensory root dissection, percutaneous puncture selective trigeminal root radiofrequency destruction and widely used trigeminal nerve microvascular decompression.  1, drug treatment: The most widely used and effective drug is carbamazepine. This drug can make 70-80% of patients completely stop pain, and nearly 20% of patients get relief. In addition, the clinical application of other drugs are phenytoin, pregabalin, gabapentin, etc., the efficacy of these drugs are not as good as carbamazepine.  The side effects of the drugs include drowsiness, dizziness, digestive dysfunction, impaired liver function, and suppression of the hematopoietic system. In addition to drug treatment, there are also acupuncture, herbal medicine, physiotherapy and massage for trigeminal neuralgia, but the effect of these auxiliary measures are not exact. For patients with initial onset of trigeminal neuralgia, medication should be the main treatment, supplemented by other conservative treatment. If it is ineffective or the side effects are not tolerated after taking medication, surgery should be performed in time.  The main cause of trigeminal neuralgia is the compression of the posterior root by the adjacent blood vessels, which leads to the demyelination of the nerve and causes pain.  Its advantage is that the trigeminal nerve function can be preserved without leaving permanent neurological dysfunction; the disadvantage is that the surgery requires craniotomy, which has certain risks and complications inherent after craniotomy. In mature centers, the safety of the surgery is high, the cure rate is over 98%, and recurrence is rare, which has become the preferred method for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia by minimally invasive surgery.  3.Radiofrequency destruction of trigeminal nerve root by percutaneous puncture: This method is suitable for those who are not suitable for craniotomy or refuse craniotomy for trigeminal neuralgia, and also for those who have recurrence and facial pain caused by oral and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, with a surgical efficiency of 85-95%. The main comorbidities are impaired touch, sensory abnormalities, motor root injury, decreased or absent corneal reflex, numbness and pain. The most serious complication is accidental penetration of the internal carotid artery, resulting in death. The recurrence rate is 10-20%, with a maximum of nearly 80%. Recurrence followed by re-destruction can be effective.  4, trigeminal nerve peripheral branch and semilunar ganglion closure: this method is simple, safe, but the effect is not long-lasting, generally can be maintained for 3-8 months, for the poor general condition is not suitable for surgery, at the same time, can also be used as a method to assist in diagnosis. Semilunar ganglion closure can cause complications such as neurokeratitis, which causes loss of sensation while resolving pain. In recent years, this procedure has been gradually reduced.