Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Comparative Study
Pulsed and conventional radiofrequency treatment: which is effective for dental procedure-related symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia?
Many patients develop dental treatment-related symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia. However, the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) treatment and conventional radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) for treatment of this disorder has not been determined. This retrospective study was conducted to compare the effectiveness and complications of PRF and RFTC in these patients. ⋯ Although the RFTC group had more complications than the PRF group, most were minor and transient, and the patient satisfaction rate with RFTC was very high. Therefore, RFTC is an effective tool for the treatment of dental procedure-induced trigeminal neuralgia.
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We report a case of temporal arteritis with a sympathetic component in the orofacial region, which responded to stellate ganglion blocks (SGBs). ⋯ This case demonstrates that SGB may relieve pain related to temporal arteritis and sympathetically maintained headache and orofacial pain by reducing noxious stimulation peripherally and decreasing central pain transmission centrally.
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To investigate the prevalence of zygapophysial joint pain in patients after disc surgery, and to determine the effectiveness of radiofrequency neurotomy for its treatment. ⋯ The prevalence of zygapophysial joint pain appears to be 7% in patients with failed back surgery syndrome. Patients with this condition can be treated with a radiofrequency neurotomy with a success rate of 58.8%.