title: Cost-effectiveness analysis for trigeminal neuralgia: Cyberknife vs microvascular decompression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We present the preliminary results of a cost-effectiveness analysis of cyberknife radiosurgery (CKR) versus microvascular decompression (MVD) for patients with medically unresponsive trigeminal neuralgia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Direct healthcare costs from hospital's perspective attributable to CKR and MVD were collected. Pain level caused by trigeminal neuralgia was measured through the Barrow Neurological Institute pain intensity scoring criteria, at admission and after an average of 6 months follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  20 patients for both arms were enrolled, for a total of 40 patients. The two procedures resulted equally effective at 6 month follow-up, with different resources consumption: CKR reducing hospital costs by an average of 34% per patient. The robustness of these results was confirmed in appropriate sensitivity analyses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CKR resulted to be a cost-saving alternative compared with the surgical intervention.
authors.affiliation: Economic Evaluation Area, CERGAS Centre for Research on Healthcare Management-Bocconi University Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tarricone
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aguzzi
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Musi
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fariselli
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casasco