• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.186-193
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• 2001

Objectives : Trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm are caused by vascular compression of the REZ(root entry or exit zone) of the 5th and the 7th cranial nerve. Preoperative detection of neurovascular compression is essential for accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and the good operative results. Three dimensional Fourier Transformation-Constructive Interference in Steady State(3DFT-CISS) images are known to give good contrast between CSF, nerve, and vessels. We applied a 3DFT-CISS imaging technique for the preoperative evaluation of patients with these diseases and estimated the diagnostic accuracy and usefulness of this study. Methods : A series of 71 patients with trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm were treated by microvascular decompression. Among them 34 patients with trigeminal neuralgia and 24 patients with hemifacial spasm had preoperative CISS images. We compared the radiologic finding with the operative finding, and analysed the diagnostic usefulness of 3DFT-CISS imaging. Results : The sensitivity of CISS images of detecting the neurovascular compression was 90.3% in trigeminal neuralgia and 100% in hemifacial spasm. There were one false-positive and three false-negative cases in trigeminal neuralgia, and one false-positive case in hemifacial spasm. The accuracy in diagnosing the causative vessel was 73.5% in trigeminal neuralgia and 83.3% in hemifacial spasm. Conclusion : CISS image is very useful diagnostic tool for preoperative evaluation of neurovascular compression in patients with trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm. No additional neuroradiologic examination other than CISS image and MRA is needed for preoperative evaluation of patients with trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.650-658
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• 2000

Objective : To evaluate the role of Gamma Knife radiosurgery in essential and tumor-related(secondary) trigeminal neuralgia, outcomes of radiosurgery and microsurgery were compared each other. Methods : Five patients with essential trigeminal neuralgia underwent stereotactic radiosurgical treatment with Leksell Gamma Knife and twenty five patients were treated with microsurgery during the same period(1994. 1-1997. 6). A 4-mm collimator was used and REZ or proximal portion of trigeminal nerve was targeted with maximal dose of 60-72Gy. The mean follow-up after radiosurgery was 39.4 months and that after microsurgery was 47.9 months. Results : At the last follow-up, four patients(80%) had excellent(pain free) or good(50-90% pain relief) outcomes, one(20%) had poor control after radiosurgical treatment. Twenty-three patients(92%) had excellent or good outcomes and two(8%) had poor results after microsurgery. Postoperative complications occurred in ten(40%) with microsurgery, but there were no complications in patients with Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Six patients with secondary trigeminal neuralgia received radiosurgical treatment directed at their tumors, and three patients were surgically treated. Three of six(50%) patients treated with Gamma Knife had pain relief while two of three patients with surgical treatment showed immediate pain relief. Post-treatment complications were developed in two of six radiosurgical patients and in one of three surgical patients. Conclusion : Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery may be considered as a useful and alternative option for the treatment of essential and secondary trigeminal neuralgia owing to of its safety and less complications. The preliminary results obtained in our series appear encouraging, although the outcome is not so good as that of surgery.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.449-453
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• 2007

삼차신경통은 삼차신경의 하나 이상 분지에서 나타나는 안면 편측 통증 질환으로 짧은 찌르는 듯한 통증이다. 삼차 신경통의 가장 흔한 원인은 인접 삼차신경이나 삼차신경근 부위를 압박하는 혈관에 의하거나 특발성으로 나타나는 특발성 삼차신경통과 구조적 병소에 의해 나타나는 증후성 삼차신경통으로 분류된다. 증후성 삼차신경통은 수막종, 청신경종, 표피양암종 등이 주된 원인이며, 감각 결함, 운동 결함, 운동실조, 안구진탕 등과 같은 신경계 증상이 동반된다. 삼차 신경통의 치료는 크게 약물 치료와 외과적 치료가 있다. 이 중 가장 효과적으로 사용되는 약물은 Carbamazepine이며, 졸음, 현기증, 불안, 오심, 식욕부진 등의 다양한 부작용을 나타낼 수 있다. 특히 간독성, 골수 기능 억제 등의 위험한 부작용이 나타날 수 있으므로 주기적으로 혈액검사, 간 및 신장 기능 검사가 필요하다. 이에 삼차신경통의 임상 증례를 통해 증후성 삼차신경통과 특발성 삼차신경통의 예를 들어 진단과 치료를 시행함에 있어 여러 고려 사항들 중 특히 우리가 소홀히 하거나 간과하기 쉬운 중요 고려사항을 되짚어 보고자 한다.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.332-338
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• 2021

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is one of the most painful disorder in the orofacial region, and many patients have suffered from this disease. For the effective management of TN, fundamental epidemiologic data related to the target population group are essential. Thus, this study was performed to clarify the epidemiological characteristics of TN in the Korean population. This is the first national study to investigate the prevalence of TN in Korean patients. Methods: From 2014 to 2018, population-based medical data for 51,276,314 subscribers to the National Health Insurance Service of Korea were used for this study. Results: The incidence of TN was 100.21 per 100,000 person-years in the year of 2018 in Korea, and the male to female ratio was 1:2.14. The age group of 51-59 years had the highest prevalence of TN. Constant increases in medical cost, regional imbalance, and differences in prescription patterns by the medical specialties were showed in the management of TN. Conclusions: The results in this study will not only help to study the characteristics of TN, but also serve as an important basis for the effective management of TN in Korea.