The following is a summary of “Analyzing the Effect of Intraoperative Stimulation Voltage on Facial Numbness Following Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation in the Treatment of Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuralgia,” published in the March 2024 issue of Pain by Wang et al.

While radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) treats idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) pain, preserving sensation during the procedure using stimulation voltage (SV) is crucial.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess how SV affects facial numbness after RFT for ITN.

They involved 72 patients with maxillary division (V2) pain who underwent RFT (2020 and 2022). Thirteen patients with SV ≤ 0.2 V formed the low SV group. Subsequently, 59 patients were matched for cohort analysis, creating the high SV group at a 1:1 ratio. The primary goal was on the facial numbness scale evaluation at 3 days, 3 months, and 6 months post-surgery. Pain severity and medication usage were secondary concerns.

The results showed a successful cohort matching, comprising 12 patients each in the low SV group and high SV group. At 3 days post-RFT, every patient experienced varying degrees of facial numbness. Interestingly, the low SV group had a higher incidence of moderate numbness (66.7% vs. 16.67%, P=0.036), while the high SV group showed more cases of mild numbness at the 6-month follow-up (25% vs. 83.3%, P=0.012). Both groups experienced significant reductions in pain intensity and medication usage post-operation.

Investigators concluded that SV was a reliable indicator for reducing the severity of postoperative facial numbness following RFT treatment for ITN. A higher SV ranging from 0.3 to 0.6 V during RFT reduced facial numbness.

Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40122-024-00587-5