Research has shown that Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery (GKRS) is an effective treatment for the medical condition trigeminal neuralgia. This is a common condition that is characterized by excruciating facial pain.
Gamma Knife has proven itself to be as safe and effective treatment for people who suffer from trigeminal neuralgia. It is very popular as patients won’t have to worry about the potential facial paralysis and the long-term recovery experienced with conventional surgery.
Research studies conducted have only way to the outcome of patients who have had gamma knife radio surgery for their trigeminal neuralgia. A group of 400 patients who suffered from the condition were given 201 narrow “pencil beams” of radioactive cobalt-60 at the trigeminal nerve focusing precisely on the target and minimizing radiation effects to surrounding healthy tissues.
In the study 90% of the patients with trigeminal neuralgia had significant pain relief after around one month. Approximately one-third of these patients did experience some degree of facial numbness, but 80 percent reported a significant improvement in their quality of life since the numbness was much more tolerable than the facial pain.
Trigeminal neuralgia, also known as tic douloureaux, is a condition that is characterized by electric shock-like pain in one or more of the three trigeminal nerve distributions in the face. Common triggers of pain associated shall include brushing the teeth, eating, talking, wind and exposure to cold air.