The Comparison of General Characteristics and Early and Late Post-intervention Results in Patients With Trigeminal Neuralgia Secondary to Multiple Sclerosis and Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuralgia Treated With Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate possible differences (in terms of demographic structure, disease history, complaints, clinical findings, early and late treatment outcomes, and complications) between patients with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) and trigeminal neuralgia (TN) secondary to multiple sclerosis (MS) who were admitted to our clinic and underwent radiofrequency (RF) thermocoagulation procedure. Materials and methods Patients who underwent percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation with a diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia by a single neurosurgeon in a single neurosurgery clinic between January 2005 and January 2020 were included in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia and trigeminal neuralgia secondary to multiple sclerosis (MSTN) according to their diagnosis. In our study, 215 TN patients who underwent 286 procedures were included. These patients were categorized according to age, sex, involved side, pain localization, and pain history. Postoperative complications were determined after each intervention. The early and late results of all interventions were evaluated, and the results were compared between both groups. All results were statistically analyzed. Results Considering the age of the patients, the mean age of the idiopathic group was higher than the multiple sclerosis group (58.18>49.46). In terms of the side of pain, bilateral involvement was significantly more common in the MS secondary group (1.48%<30.77%). There was no significant difference between the early results of both groups. In terms of remission periods, the pain-free period in the MS secondary group was significantly shorter than in the idiopathic group (mean value in months, 30.87>23.81). Conclusion The radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the trigeminal nerve is a highly effective, low-complication, reproducible procedure for trigeminal neuralgia, but the search for ways to improve the efficacy of treatment in MS patients should continue.