We know that there are levels of pain, level 0 being no pain and the highest level we call it level 10. It’s a level 10 severe pain. And the pain of conception of life is generally speaking at about level 7. And trigeminal neuralgia is one of the 10 levels of severe pain. How painful is trigeminal neuralgia? Trigeminal neuralgia is one of the more common neurological disorders of the brain, slightly more common in women than men, and mostly in the elderly. It is characterized by paroxysmal, knife-like or needle-like pain in the trigeminal nerve distribution area. Each pain episode varies from a few seconds to several minutes. The intermittent period is like normal, and there are no symptoms. However, as time progresses, the intervals are gradually shortened. The condition is also gradually aggravated and the pain becomes more and more severe. The main manifestation of trigeminal neuralgia is the recurrent paroxysmal severe pain in the distribution area of the trigeminal nerve on one side of the face, which can cause paroxysmal severe pain when talking, washing the face, brushing the teeth or breezing, or even when walking. Trigeminal neuralgia can be divided into primary trigeminal neuralgia and secondary trigeminal neuralgia, among which primary trigeminal neuralgia is more common. Trigeminal neuralgia can be treated with drugs: Trigeminal neuralgia can be treated with drugs, such as carbamazepine and phenytoin sodium, etc. Carbamazepine is effective for pain relief in 70% of patients, but about 1/3 of patients cannot tolerate its side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness and digestive discomfort. Phenytoin sodium is less effective than carbamazepine. So it is not the best treatment. But don’t worry too much, there are surgical treatment options for trigeminal neuralgia. Currently, microvascular decompression is the most effective surgical procedure. The principle of surgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is to separate the compressed nerve vessels under the operation of a microscope. The procedure is performed under microscopic operation to separate the compressed nerve vessels, thus releasing the compression on the nerve root and restoring the normal function of the nerve. Under general anesthesia, a 4-6 cm longitudinal incision is made behind the affected ear and in the hairline, and a cranial hole with a diameter of about 2 cm is opened to enter the pontocerebellar angle under the microscope. Once the responsible vessels are isolated, the source of irritation disappears, and the hyperexcitability of the trigeminal nucleus disappears and returns to normal. In the vast majority of patients, the pain disappears immediately after surgery and normal facial sensation and function are preserved without affecting the quality of life. Are there any complications of the surgery? Except for patients who cannot tolerate surgery, all patients with trigeminal neuralgia are suitable for microvascular decompression surgery. The most common surgical complications include hearing loss and facial sensory loss, but with the improvement of microsurgery, the incidence of these complications is very low in large neurosurgical medical institutions, and most of the symptoms of brain nerve injury are mild and can be recovered gradually. There is no need to worry too much about surgical complications. The surgical technique is mature, and microvascular decompression is a mature surgical method after years of clinical application, and the operation is relatively simple. 2. The surgical effect is obvious, and microvascular decompression is the only surgical method that can cure primary trigeminal neuralgia, and most patients can quickly relieve the symptoms after surgery, and the recurrence rate is low. 3.Small surgical trauma, microvascular decompression is a minimally invasive surgery done under a microscope, with small surgical trauma, less bleeding and fast recovery. 4, high surgical safety, microvascular decompression as one of the neurosurgery procedures, compared with many traditional surgery, safety has been significantly improved, will not affect the surrounding nerve tissue.