RESUMO
Objective To observe the curative effect of cervicogenic headache(CEH)treatment through the combination of pulse radio frequency(PRF)on the C2 dorsal rootganglion and continuous epidural space block.Methods Sixty patients with CEH in our hospital were randomly divided into groups A and B,30 cases in each group.The group A was treated with combination of PRF on cervical dorsal root ganglion and continuous epidural space block.The group B was treated with PRF on cervical dorsal root ganglion method.The pain VAS scores before treatment and at 1 week,3,6 months after treatment were compared between the two groups.Results Compared with pretreatment,the VSA scores at 1 week,3,6 wonths after treatment in the two groups had statistical difference(P＜0.05),moreover,the VAS score decrease in the group A was better than the group B.All the patients had no nerve and artery injury or infection complications.Conclusion It is safe and effective to treat cervical CEH through the combination of ganglion PRF on the cervical 2 dorsal root and continuous epidural space block.
RESUMO
Radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) of the gasserian ganglion is a routine and effective technique for the treatment of classical trigeminal neuralgia (CTN). In this study we compared its efficacy in patients with CTN and atypically symptomatic or mixed trigeminal neuralgia (MTN). Fifty-seven patients were treated with RFT for trigeminal neuralgia from June 2006 to February 2009. Thirty patients had CTN, and 27 had MTN. Outcomes were measured by using the visual analog pain scale (VAS) and patients' reports of quality of life (QOL), medication usage, and complications over a follow-up period of up to 3 years. Our results showed that the patients with MTN were younger, tended to have bilaterial involvement of the first division, and were unresponsive to treatment. All surgeries were completed smoothly. About 86.7% CTN patients and 48.1% MTN patients responded immediately to RFT. The VAS scores were significantly higher in the CTN group than in MTN group (P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year pain relief rates were 76.7%, 73.3%, and 73.3% in the CTN group and 46.6%, 41.4%, and 41.4% in the MTN group, respectively. The rates of pain relief for both groups leveled off at 2 years. Complications included numbness, dysesthesia, and anesthesia dolorosa. RFT did not cause any deaths and complications were low. The treatment was very effective for CTN and, to some degrees, effective for MTN. If numbness, dysesthesia, and anesthesia dolorosa are limited to the trigger area, QOL will be greatly improved.