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	Related conditions   - Acoustic neuroma   - Alzheimer's disease   - Stroke   - Carpal tunnel syndrome   - Trigeminal neuralgia   - Epilepsy   - Whiplash   - Hydrocephalus   - Restless leg syndrome   - Multiple sclerosis   - Dementia   - Parkinson's disease   - Vertebral fracture   - Peripheral neuropathy

Treatment for trigeminal neuralgia

Treatment initially involves drugs such as Tegretol, Baclofen or Dilantin. If medical treatment is ineffective or if side effects of the medications are unacceptable, surgical treatment may be considered. The surgical approaches include:

• Peripheral nerve branch block with phenol alcohol
• Percutaneous trigeminal rhizotomy with glycerol, balloon or radiofrequency
• Microvascular decompression 
• Stereotactic radiosurgery with gamma knife

Peripheral nerve branch block involves an injection into the nerve roots along the side of the head. Rhizotomy involves cutting a nerve root in the cheek. Microvascular decompression is brain surgery to place a sponge-like material between the trigeminal nerve and adjacent blood vessels to alleviate pressure from blood flow. The gamma knife is a scalpel-free method of brain surgery using beams of radiation.