Therapy
The treatment should focus on relieving the nerve and removing the source of irritation.Only then can the nerve tissue regenerate and the inflammation flatten out. The two main procedures here are drug therapy and surgical intervention. The medication used here is anticonvulsants such as carbamazepine® or valproate®.
They contain active ingredients that are also used in the therapy of epilepsy and slow down the transmission in the nerve cells. This lowers the stimulation threshold and the stimulation of the pain fibers breaks down. Anticonvulsants are generally well tolerated, but can also cause side effects such as tiredness or dizziness.
In acute pain conditions, the more potent Phenytoin® should be used. In the case of atypical facial pain, antidepressants can provide relief, although an inflammatory cause of the disease is then unlikely. Taking painkillers is not an option for long-term therapy.
There is a risk of dependence and often a tolerance development weakens the effect of the medication. Intraoperatively, there are several options. First, a long-term local anesthetic (narcotic) can be injected into the nerve or nerve node.
If the intervention remains without effect, the nerve can either be relieved or completely blocked. If there is a superficial brain tumor, surgical removal is recommended in any case. An overlying vessel can be prevented from further compressing the nerve tissue by implanted muscle cushions (operation according to Jannetta).
A permanent blockage of the nerve is only possible by destruction. In operations where the skull does not have to be opened, the nerve tissue can be effectively destroyed by heat, by chemical substances such as glycerine or by pressure, in the balloon compression procedure. As a last resort, the nerve can be cut surgically, in which case all function is lost. If the cause is an infection caused by microorganisms, an appropriate medication must be prescribed, for example an antibiotic.
Prognosis
The chances of recovery vary depending on the cause of the inflammation. If the disease is caused by a pathogen, counter therapy can provide complete relief. In the case of surgical interventions, there is a 90-98% chance of living pain-free afterwards, depending on the procedure. However, 10-30% of patients develop a pain syndrome again over the years. The following topics may be of further interest to you: All topics published in the field of neurology can be found at :
- Inflammation trigeminal
- Inflammation brain
- Face Pain
- Headaches
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Nerve damage
- Nerve pain
- Trigeminal Palsy
- Toothache
- Causes of toothache
- Neurology A-Z
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