Effect of the gamma knife treatment on the trigeminal nerve root in Chinese patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia.
OBJECTIVE
To understand the mechanism of the gamma knife treating the trigeminal neuralgia.


METHODS
Using the MASEP-SRRS type gamma knife treatment system, 140 Chinese patients with trigeminal neuralgia (NT) were treated in our hospital from 2002 to 2010, in which the pain relief rate reached 95% and recurrence rate was 3% only. We investigated the effect of the gamma knife treatment on the trigeminal nerve root in 20 Chinese patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia by the magnetic resonance imager (MRI) observation.


RESULTS
1) The cross-sectional area of trigeminal nerve root became smaller and MRI signals were lower in the treatment side than those in the non-treatment side after the gamma knife treatment of primary trigeminal neuralgia; 2) in the treatment side, the cross-sectional area of the trigeminal nerve root decreased significantly after the gamma knife treatment; 3) there was good correlation between the clinical improvement and the MRI findings; and 4) the straight distance between the trigeminal nerve root and the brainstem did not change after the gamma knife treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The pain relief induced the gamma knife radiosurgery might be related with the atrophy of the trigeminal nerve root in Chinese patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia.
The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui, China.
Zhi-Xiu
ZX
Song
Wei
W
Qian
Yu-Quan
YQ
Wu
Fang-Jie
FJ
Sun
Jun
J
Fei
Run-Sheng
RS
Huang
Jing-Yu
JY
Fang
Cai-Zhen
CZ
Wu
You-Ming
YM
An
Daxin
D
Wang
Jun
J
Yang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016634:Radiosurgery; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000601:surgery*; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000601:surgery*