title: Paroxysmal facial pain in disseminated sclerosis treated by retrogasserian glycerol injection.
abstract: In the material of patients with trigeminal neuralgia treated by retrogasserian glycerol injection at the Karolinska Hospital, 23 cases (8%) were also diagnosed as suffering from disseminated sclerosis. These patients were often on carbamazepine treatment before the procedure, a regimen known to cause severe side effects and increase pre-existing symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis. Following glycerol injection, more than 90% became pain-free within the first 2 months and 82% could discontinue drug therapy. This initial outcome corresponds well to the results in our larger series, but the long-term results in the group with multiple sclerosis is less satisfactory, with 61% recurrence at follow-up 8-79 months following treatment. In total 48% were pain-free at follow-up, following reinjections in 8 cases. In spite of less satisfactory long-term results, more than three-fourths of the patients wanted another glycerol injection after only low-dose trial with carbamazepine in case of recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Linderoth
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Håkanson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005990:Glycerol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis
chemical_list: D002220:Carbamazepine; D005990:Glycerol