A prospective study of 39 patients with trigeminal neuralgia treated with percutaneous balloon compression.

OBJECTIVE Trigeminal neuralgia is the most common facial pain. It may be treated with percutaneous balloon compression (PBC), which is considered to be a safe and efficient procedure. The purpose of this study was to review our results with PBC and to assess the factors influencing the outcome. METHOD A multivariate analysis was used to study 39 patients during a 50-month postoperative period. RESULTS There was predominance of the female gender (54%), the right side of the face (84%) and V2V3 roots of trigeminal nerve (33%). The mean age was 62.3 years. No major complications or deaths occurred. Among all variables, postoperative hypoesthesia was the single prognostic factor capable of positively influencing the results (p=0.02). Most patients (80%) were pain-free after 50 months with a 90% satisfaction rate. CONCLUSION PBC was a safe procedure with low morbidity, no mortality, high approval ratings, and was an important improving on patients' quality of life.