Microvascular Decompression versus Radiofrequency Ablation in Trigeminal Neuralgia of the Maxillary and Mandibular Divisions

Abstract

<b>Background</b> Although medical treatment is the mainstay of therapy, in trigeminal neuralgia (TN), patients failing to respond to it make them candidates to ablative or nonablative procedures. <b>Objective</b> The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of Microvascular decompression (MVD) and radiofrequency (RF) thermocoagulation in the management of TN affecting the mandibular and maxillary divisions. <b>Materials and Methods</b> Retrospective analysis of the data of 40 patients suffering from intractable classical TN affecting the maxillary or mandibular divisions or both was carried out. Twenty patients were operated upon by MVD of the trigeminal nerve; and 20 had RF ablation of the maxillary or mandibular divisions of the trigeminal nerve or both. <b>Results</b> In MVD the overall successful outcome was achieved in 16 patients (80%), while the failure was in 4 patients (20%) of which 3 had a fair outcome and 1 patient had a poor outcome. Whereas in RF the overall successful outcome was achieved in 17 patients (85%), while the failure was in 3 patients (15%) of which 2 had a fair outcome and 1 patient had a poor outcome. Outcome was insignificantly different between both groups ( <i>p</i> -value 0.806). <b>Conclusion</b> MVD and RF ablation represent safe and efficacious surgical choices for addressing TN that encompasses both the mandibular and maxillary divisions. Long-term follow-up studies demonstrate that MVD consistently yields favorable outcomes, establishing it as the preferred primary surgical technique, unless contraindicated by the patient's general health and specific needs.