Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, the nerve responsible for sensation in your face. Sudden, severe episodes of electric-shock-like facial pain. TN — often called 'the suicide disease' because of its extreme pain intensity & impact on quality of life.

Causes & Risk Factors

• Nerve Compression: Trigeminal nerve getting compressed / irritated by nearby blood vessel.
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS): A condition that damages the protective covering of nerves.
• Facial Trauma or Surgery or Dental Treatment: In some cases, injury or dental procedures can irritate the nerve.
• Tumours: In rare cases, symptoms may arise due to a tumour applying pressure on the trigeminal nerve.

Symptoms

• Sharp, stabbing or shooting facial pain
• Pain, usually on one side of the face
• Repeated attacks that may occur several times a day
• Pain affecting the cheek, jaw, teeth, lips, nose or around the eye
• Increasing frequency or severity of attacks over time

What Triggers the Pain?

• Washing/touching face,
• Speaking,
• Eating,
• Shaving,
• Applying make-up,
• Brushing teeth,
• Cold breeze/wind.
• The pain can sometimes be mistaken for dental pain, leading patients to undergo unnecessary dental procedures before the correct diagnosis is made.

Trigeminal Nerve Pathway & Brain MRI Evaluation

USA Stryker Radiofrequency Unit for Trigeminal Neurolysis

How Trigeminal Neuralgia is Diagnosed?

Diagnosis is primarily based on the patient's history, characteristic pain pattern & clinical examination.

Nature of pain: electric-shock-like, stabbing or shooting pain

Location: which area of the face is affected

Duration & frequency: how long attacks last & how often they occur

Triggers: whether touch, chewing, talking, brushing or cold air triggers the pain

Side involved: trigeminal neuralgia usually affects one side of the face

Neurological examination: assessment of facial sensation & other neurological functions

Dental evaluation: when pain involves the teeth, jaw or gums, to distinguish neuralgia from dental causes.

1. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI),
2. An MRI of the brain, to look for nerve compression & to exclude other causes of facial pain, such as multiple sclerosis, tumours or structural abnormalities.

Why Accurate Diagnosis Matters,

Trigeminal neuralgia can resemble toothache, temporomandibular joint disorders, migraine & other facial pain conditions. Correct diagnosis helps avoid unnecessary dental procedures & allows the most appropriate treatment to be selected.

Treatment Options for Trigeminal Neuralgia

At AREVA At AREVA, we provide specialized evaluation and treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, a condition characterized by sudden, severe facial pain. For selected patients who do not respond adequately to medication or cannot tolerate it, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) may be considered. This minimally invasive, image-guided procedure targets the affected trigeminal nerve to help reduce pain and improve quality of life.