title: Duration of remission phase of 36 Korean patients with glossopharyngeal neuralgia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glossopharyngeal neuralgia has the characteristic of a long remission phase between the pain attack phases. Although the concept of remission is very important for the treatment of patients with glossopharyngeal neuralgia, due to the rarity of the disease, clear statistical studies on the remission phase for glossopharyngeal neuralgia are almost non-existent.
  
  
  METHODS
  Previous chart reviews and phone interviews were conducted on a total of 38 patients. Among these study subjects, two patients were excluded because of their known secondary glossopharyngeal neuralgia from their brain tumors. Hence, the average duration of remission was investigated on 36 patients with idiopathic glossopharyngeal neuralgia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the 27 patients who experienced their first remission, the average duration of the remission was 3.1 years. Among them, the average duration of the second remission of the 17 patients was 2.5 years, and for 4 patients who experienced a third remission, the average duration of the remission phase was 1.9 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The difference in the mean duration of the remission phase of the 1(st), 2(nd), and 3(rd) are not statistically significant, and the occurrence rate of the left or right side and of the gender, male or female, are also statistically insignificant. However, it is possible to infer that a patient might face a pain attack phase when his or her remission phase has lapsed for about three years. This prediction may be applied when developing treatment plans for patients with glossopharyngeal neuralgia.
authors: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, Korea.
authors: Myong-Soo
authors: MS
authors: Kang
authors: Do-Wan
authors: DW
authors: Kim
authors: Sung-Min
authors: SM
authors: Kim
authors: Chan
authors: C
authors: Kim
authors: Young-Ki
authors: YK
authors: Kim
keywords: Glossopharyngeal neuralgia; Pain-free interval; Remission
references: Neurol Sci. 2005 May;26 Suppl 2:s65-7
references: 15926023
references: Pain. 2009 Dec 15;147(1-3):122-7
references: 19783099
references: J Long Term Eff Med Implants. 2006;16(2):185-92
references: 16700659
references: J Headache Pain. 2011 Oct;12(5):527-34
references: 21567138
references: Neurosurgery. 1995 Jan;36(1):64-8; discussion 68-9
references: 7708170
references: Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2008 May;150(5):471-5; discussion 475
references: 18231706
references: Expert Rev Neurother. 2007 Nov;7(11):1565-79
references: 17997704
references: Cephalalgia. 1983 Sep;3(3):143-57
references: 6313200
references: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Jan 19;(1):CD005451
references: 21249671
references: Headache. 2001 Nov-Dec;41 Suppl 1:S25-32
references: 11903537
references: Neuroepidemiology. 1991;10(5-6):276-81
references: 1798430
references: Ann Neurol. 1984 Mar;15(3):240-4
references: 6372646
references: Intern Med. 2010;49(7):707-8
references: 20371963
references: Ann Surg. 1935 Jan;101(1):256-68
references: 17856446
references: Headache. 2006 Jul-Aug;46(7):1200-2
references: 16866727
references: Arch Neurol. 1981 Apr;38(4):201-5
references: 7213143
references: Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1982 Jan-Feb;90(1):16-9
references: 6806751