Trigeminal Neuralgia Treated with Percutaneous Balloon Compression: A Case Series
Balloon compression for trigeminal neuralgia
Keywords:
Gasserian ganglion, interventional analgesia, neuropathic facial pain, percutaneous balloon compression, neuralgiaAbstract
Abstract Views: 28
Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) produces sudden, repeated, electric-shock-like face pain with significant functional impairment. Percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) of the trigeminal (Gasserian) ganglion is a less invasive alternative to medication-refractory TN or patients not suitable for extensive surgery.
Case Summary: Three adults with refractory TN received fluoroscopy-guided PBC. Case 1: A 54-year-old female with left V1–V3 pain, refractory to carbamazepine/gabapentin, experienced ≈75% immediate relief and complete analgesia at 1 and 6 months. Case 2: A 28-year-old female with left V1–V3 TN following unsuccessful radiofrequency ablations and microvascular decompression experienced a mild post-procedure headache with minor magnetic resonance imaging-detectable bleed treated conservatively; pain-free at day 7 and 6 months. Case 3: A 64-year-old male with right V1–V2 TN had total relief within 1 h; temporary facial numbness/dry eye settled by 2 months, pain-free at 7 months.
Conclusions: PBC provided prompt, long-lasting analgesia with acceptable, predominantly reversible sensory effects. Selective, “pear-shaped” balloon confirmation, and uniform compression durations favor PBC as an efficacious interventional treatment for TN.
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