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Letters to the editor • Braz. j. otorhinolaryngol. 83 (2) • Mar-Apr 2017 • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjorl.2016.09.002   copy

Comparison of nerve combing and percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation in the treatment for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia☆ ☆ Please cite this article as: Du Y, Yu W. Comparison of nerve combing and percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation in the treatment for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2017;83:240.

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Dear Editor,

We read with great interest the article by Zhou et al.11 Zhou X, Liu Y, Yue Z, Luan D, Zhang H, Han J. Comparison of nerve combing and percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation in the treatment for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Braz J Otorhinolaryngo. 2016;82:574-9.

Zhou and colleagues compared the efficacy between nerve combing (NC) and percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF) in the treatment for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. In the group NC, the rate of satisfactory relief was 82%, satisfactory relief was 76.4% in the group RF; there were no significant differences between the two groups. As known, microvascular decompression (MVD) is the best surgical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia in patients of any age,22 Sekula RF, Frederickson AM, Jannetta PJ, Quigley MR, Aziz KM, Arnone GD. Microvascular decompression for elderly patients with trigeminal neuralgia: a prospective study and systematic review with meta-analysis. J Neurosurg. 2011;114:172-9. only when the neurovascular compression (NVC) is absent, nerve combing or internal neurolysis may be considered.33 Ko AL, Ozpinar A, Lee A, Raslan AM, Mccartney S, Burchiel KJ. Long-term efficacy and safety of internal neurolysis for trigeminal neuralgia without neurovascular compression. J Neurosurg. 2015;122:1048-57.

In this study, the authors performed nerve combing procedure in 55 cases, but they did not mention whether NVC was present or how many patients present NVC. If typical vascular compression was found at surgery, MVD was the only procedure; NV might lead to facial numbness after operation. MVD combined with NV may be used in the patients with atypical vascular compression. So the procedure and conclusion might be inaccurate without excluding NVC.

  • ☆
    Please cite this article as: Du Y, Yu W. Comparison of nerve combing and percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation in the treatment for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2017;83:240.

References

  • 1
    Zhou X, Liu Y, Yue Z, Luan D, Zhang H, Han J. Comparison of nerve combing and percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation in the treatment for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Braz J Otorhinolaryngo. 2016;82:574-9.
  • 2
    Sekula RF, Frederickson AM, Jannetta PJ, Quigley MR, Aziz KM, Arnone GD. Microvascular decompression for elderly patients with trigeminal neuralgia: a prospective study and systematic review with meta-analysis. J Neurosurg. 2011;114:172-9.
  • 3
    Ko AL, Ozpinar A, Lee A, Raslan AM, Mccartney S, Burchiel KJ. Long-term efficacy and safety of internal neurolysis for trigeminal neuralgia without neurovascular compression. J Neurosurg. 2015;122:1048-57.

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    Mar-Apr 2017
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