Medications are the first line of treatment for TN and include carbamazepine (Tegretol®), phenytoin (Dilantin®), gabapentin (Neurontin®) and baclophen (Lioresal®). As the disease progresses and pain becomes more frequent and severe, increased doses of medications are required which may lead to intolerable side effects and/or inadequate pain control. Each sufferer has differing tolerance to these medications and pain, but at least half will eventually find that medications do not adequately control their progressively worsening TN. The surgical procedures then considered are either microvascular decompression surgery or some form of nerve injury procedure (rhizotomies). Because ultrasound has the potential to heal injured nerve, we feel it is an intelligent choice for patients with Trigeminal neuralgia to attempt to reverse or at least slow the progress of there nerve injury.
Brief review of the currently available standard treatment for Trigeminal Neuralgia.
