Long Term Outcomes of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Typical Trigeminal Neuralgia-Minimum 5-Year Follow-Up.
10.3340/jkns.2012.51.5.276
- Author:
Jong Kwon LEE
1
;
Hyuk Jai CHOI
;
Hak Cheol KO
;
Seok Keun CHOI
;
Young Jin LIM
Author Information
1. Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea. youngjinns@yahoo.co.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Trigeminal neuralgia;
Gamma knife radiosurgery;
Long-term follow-up
- MeSH:
Follow-Up Studies;
Humans;
Microvascular Decompression Surgery;
Radiosurgery;
Trigeminal Neuralgia
- From:Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
2012;51(5):276-280
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is the least invasive surgical option for patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN). However, the indications and long term outcomes of GKRS are still controversial. Additionally, a series with uniform long-term follow-up data for all patients has been lacking. In the present study, the authors analyzed long-term outcomes in a series of patients with TN who underwent a single GKRS treatment followed by a minimum follow-up of 60 months. METHODS: From 1994 to 2009, 40 consecutive patients with typical, intractable TN received GKRS. Among these, 22 patients were followed for >60 months. The mean maximum radiation dose was 77.1 Gy (65.2-83.6 Gy), and the 4 mm collimator was used to target the radiation to the root entry zone. RESULTS: The mean age was 61.5 years (25-84 years). The mean follow-up period was 92.2 months (60-144 months). According to the pain intensity scale in the last follow-up, 6 cases were grades I-II (pain-free with or without medication; 27.3%) and 7 cases were grade IV-V (<50% pain relief with medication or no pain relief; 31.8%). There was 1 case (facial dysesthesia) with post-operative complications (4.54%). CONCLUSION: The long-term results of GKRS for TN are not as satisfactory as those of microvascular decompression and other conventional modalities, but GKRS is a safe, effective and minimally invasive technique which might be considered a first-line therapy for a limited group of patients for whom a more invasive kind of treatment is unsuitable.
