Microvascular Decompression for Trigeminal Neuralgia: A regional unit’s experience

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a rare chronic pain disorder, characterised by paroxysms of severe, lancinating pain in the distribution of the trigeminal nerve. Most commonly, the second and third branches of the trigeminal nerve are affected. Paroxysms of pain may be related to tactile stimuli such as hair combing, shaving or a cold wind against the patients face. The pain associated with TN is so severe that reports of patients committing suicide have been published in the literature. 1