1, trigeminal neuralgia called “the world’s first pain” trigeminal neuralgia generally starts at the age of 40, mostly occurs in the middle-aged and elderly, especially in women, the onset of the right side more than the left side, the pain is mainly in the half of the face, lower jaw, gums and teeth and around the eyes, episodes of burning-like, needle-like pain, the attack is only half of the face pain. Most patients have a “trigger point”, which can be triggered by talking, washing, eating, brushing teeth, etc. at the beginning of the attack, causing painful episodes. This is why it is called “the world’s first pain”. Because of the fear of pain, patients are afraid to brush their teeth, eat, eat, etc., which seriously affects their quality of life. 2. Why do patients mistakenly go to dentistry for toothache? Patients often mistakenly think that they go to the stomatology department for toothache during the consultation process, and even many patients do not relieve the pain after their normal teeth are mistakenly extracted. Director Zong Qiang reminded the public that common diseases in dentistry such as periodontitis and apical infection can trigger pain due to exposure to hot, cold, sour and sweet, and can be easily confused with the “trigger point” trigger pain of the trigeminal nerve, but toothache can be found with inflammation and periodontal swelling around the tooth, which improves after the application of anti-inflammatory drugs or apical treatment. It can be identified by going to the dentistry department of a regular hospital. 3.How to relieve the pain? Can trigeminal neuralgia be cured? Patients can prefer to take carbamazepine tablets, which can provide temporary relief in 60% of people, but long-term use can produce toxic side effects and reduce the efficacy. If relief is not obvious, physical therapy such as acupuncture and radiofrequency can provide short-term pain relief, but ultimately cannot cure the disease. As long as the patient can tolerate surgery, microvascular decompression is the preferred treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. The surgery will push the blood vessels that compress the nerve to the nerve, so that the nerve compression can be lifted and the disease can be cured. 4.What is the “lock hole surgery”? Traditional surgery is very traumatic and has high complications, but the lock-hole surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique that became popular internationally in the 1990s. We innovatively applied the technique of “lock-hole surgery” to microvascular decompression, which is a relatively advanced surgical treatment method with small trauma, high efficacy and few complications. The patient can be awake half an hour after the surgery and the facial pain will disappear completely. Because there is no damage to blood vessels and nerves, facial paralysis and facial sensory disorders will not occur after surgery. 5.So what kind of patients are suitable for surgery? Patients with facial muscle spasm, trigeminal neuralgia and glossopharyngeal neuralgia that cannot be controlled by medication, as long as their physical condition can tolerate surgery, lock-hole surgery is the first choice, which is the internationally accepted treatment option. Excessive age is not a contraindication to surgery. Patients over 80 years of age can still safely benefit from surgery as long as their physical condition permits. Patients who cannot tolerate surgery for trigeminal neuralgia due to serious medical diseases can choose radiofrequency, acupuncture and other treatment methods, and patients with facial muscle spasm can try botulinum toxin injection to relieve symptoms. 6.Will the surgery be nutritious and cosmetic? We take minimally invasive surgery, incision with about 3.5cm long transverse incision in the hairline behind the ear, shaving only requires an area behind the fist size of the diseased side of the ear, female patients and male patients with long hair, the surgical incision is hidden by the hair, almost can not see that surgery has been done. 7.What should I pay attention to in my life when suffering from trigeminal neuralgia and how to prevent the disease? The cold climate in winter makes it easy for many germs to take advantage of the situation and lead to the onset of the disease, so the general public should pay attention to the cold to keep warm and improve the immunity of the body, especially the elderly preferably do not use cold water to wash the face, pay attention to the warmth of the head when going out. The diet should be light, avoiding spicy and stimulating foods and condiments, and the temperature of meals should be appropriate, not too cold or too hot, in order to avoid chemical and physical stimulation, which can cause severe coughing, especially not drinking and smoking, which can lead to intracranial arteriosclerosis and displacement, thus compressing the trigeminal nerve and leading to the occurrence of trigeminal neuralgia. Dr. Zong Qiang, deputy chief of neurosurgery, has been working in clinical practice since 1995. Based on general neurosurgery, he focuses on functional neurosurgery, such as trigeminal neuralgia, facial muscle spasm, and glossopharyngeal neuralgia. He has published 13 papers in core journals, 3 monographs and 2 scientific research achievements at local and municipal level.