• Wang Xu-Hui, Zhou Chun, Shen Guang-Jian, Xu Min-Hui, Chen Guang-Xin, Zou Yong-Wen, and Xu Lun-Shan.
• Research Institute of Surgery & Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Department of Neurosurgery, Chongqing, China. kevin6811@yeah.net
• Turk Neurosurg. 2011 Jan 1;21(1):48-52.

AimTo assess the long-term outcomes of percutaneous retrogasserian glycerol rhizotomy (PRGR) in patients with medically unresponsive idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia.Material And MethodsA total of 3370 patients undergoing PRGR between 1983 and 2003 in our hospital were followed up for 13.1 years (range 3-23 years), and the outcomes were investigated.ResultsOf the 3370 patients, 99.58% had complete initial pain relief. A total of 2750 patients were followed up when 112 died of unrelated causes and 508 were lost to follow up. Of the 2750 patients, 962 (35%) had pain recurrence at various intervals: 0.3% in 1 year; 21% in 1 to 5 years; 7% in 5 to 10 years; 4% in 10 to 15 years and 3% in 15 to 23 years. The major complication was facial numbness, among which hypesthesia outweighed hypalgesia. Most patients recovered within half a year, although 109 patients (3.96%) developed permanent mild hypesthesia. There was no anesthesia dolorosa or surgery related mortality in this series.ConclusionPRGR is a minimally invasive and simple procedure yielding a favorable outcome for trigeminal neuralgia. The major complications of this procedure are reversible within various time intervals. It may serve as a first-line surgical modality for patients unresponsive to pharmacotherapy.

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