Radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia and epilepsy

• Published in: Neurosurgery clinics of North America Vol. 10; no. 2; p. 359
• Main Authors: Régis, J, Bartolomei, F, Metellus, P, Rey, M, Genton, P, Dravet, C, Bureau, M, Semah, F, Gastaut, J L, Peragut, J C, Chauvel, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-04-1999
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Brain Neoplasms - surgery; Decision Making; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - surgery; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Microsurgery - standards; Patient Selection; Radiation Dosage; Radiosurgery - adverse effects; Radiosurgery - methods; Radiosurgery - standards; Treatment Outcome; Trigeminal Neuralgia - classification; Trigeminal Neuralgia - pathology; Trigeminal Neuralgia - surgery
• ISSN: 1042-3680
• DOI: 10.1016/S1042-3680(18)30201-8

The role of Gamma Knife surgery in the field of functional surgery recently has evolved dramatically. For treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, Gamma Knife surgery is the least invasive procedure, with a low rate of hypesthesia. If a rate of complete relief similar to that of other surgical techniques could be achieved, this approach will become one of the main techniques used to treat the disease initially. The authors present their experience with a group of 16 patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy who have been treated successfully (15 completely seizure-free and 1 with rare, nondisabling seizures) without significant complication. After additional follow-up to demonstrate the absence of long-term consequences, this fascinating new approach could change epilepsy surgery practice dramatically.