Neuralgia is usually pain that occurs in a sensory nerve. This pain, often compared to an electric shock, can be chronic as it can appear from time to time.
This extreme pain attack usually occurs in the face and often starts when you touch a specific area.
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Trigeminal neuralgia: What is it?
Trigeminal neuralgia is a painful inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, one of the largest nerves in the head. This nerve runs through the lower part of the face on both the right and left sides. As such, it performs the important function of transmitting information and sensations from the face directly to the brain.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a syndrome that causes severe, sporadic, and sudden episodes of pain. In some cases, these episodes may last only a few seconds, while in others they may be prolonged.
Facial neuralgia: what are the symptoms?
Trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by severe, paralyzing, and unbearable pain affecting only one side of the face. The pain is often caused by an action, such as teeth brushing. It can last up to two minutes and occurs about a hundred times a day. This pain can be so intense that it may cause a distorted facial expression or a tic (visual symptoms).
When a person with facial neuralgia touches a part of his face, it can cause an electric shock. This pain can affect the lower area of the face (the cheekbone) and can also reach the ear. Not to be confused with migraine which results from dilation of blood vessels and affects the entire half of the face.
Other symptoms of facial neuralgia may include:
- Stinging, itching, or tingling.
- A burning sensation, similar to a sunburn.
- Great sensitivity to cold and heat.
- Contraction and weakness of muscle tissue.
- Trouble sleeping (when pain occurs during the night).
Causes of trigeminal neuralgia
This disease usually affects adults or the elderly and is often caused by:
- Compression of the fifth cranial nerve by an intracranial artery or by a venous ball;
- An injury caused by pressure from a cancerous tumor on the fifth cranial nerve;
- An arteriovenous malformation (irregularity in the veins and arteries) or an aneurysm (swelling in an artery).
Facial neuralgia can result from infection with the HHV-3 virus (a herpes virus that causes chickenpox and shingles). It can also be a sign of an autoimmune disease such as Guillain Barré Syndrome. Other diseases can lead to the onset of this pain, such as multiple sclerosis.
How can I prevent trigeminal neuralgia?
Methods of preventing this disease vary depending on the causes of the disease.
For autoimmune neuralgia, there is no way to prevent it. For mechanical neuralgia, you need to lose weight or strengthen your muscles to avoid it. Finally, the best way to avoid infectious neuralgia is to avoid contracting the virus if you've never had chickenpox.
If you need more information or have concerns about trigeminal neuralgia, don't hesitate to contact one of our neurology specialists.
Evaluation & Diagnosis
The diagnosis of facial neuralgia is not based on a specific examination, but the characteristic symptoms usually allow the neurologist to make an accurate diagnosis.
For example, the examination varies depending on the cause of the neuralgia:
- For autoimmune neuralgia or neuralgia caused by a virus, the patient undergoes a blood test.
- If the facial neuralgia is caused by other factors, the patient will undergo an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan.
Treatment of Facial Neuralgia in Turkey
Treating trigeminal neuralgia requires several approaches. Here are the typical steps:
Drug treatments
Treatment of neuralgia usually combines analgesics and anti-inflammatories administered orally, intramuscularly, or by parietal infiltration. The goal of medical treatment is to reduce the intensity of symptoms.
Conventional analgesics and morphine cannot completely relieve trigeminal neuralgia. Your doctor may prescribe other medications, including
- Anticonvulsants (anti-epileptics).
- Antispasmodics.
- Antidepressants, anxiolytics, and neuroleptics (as an adjunct).
In the case of mechanical neuralgia, the patient should rest for a few days. The attending physician may also recommend that the patient wear a cervical collar or undergo physiotherapy.
The neurosurgery
Although medication treatment is often effective, some patients show resistance to painkillers. In this case, the doctor may consider surgery to relieve the pressure on the nerve.
There are three types of surgery:
| Neurosurgery type | Characteristics |
The gamma-knife technique | Gamma-knife radiosurgery consists of irradiating the nerve at the point of contact with the brain. In this technique, the neurosurgeon uses gamma rays that partially destroy some axons. |
The percutaneous methods | It's a method in which the neurosurgeon uses a needle to target the nerve or its ganglion. Three methods can be used:
|
| Microvascular decompression technique | In this technique, the neurosurgeon makes an incision in the skull, behind the ear, to relieve the pressure of the blood vessels on the nerve. It is therefore a very complicated neurosurgery. |
How can I avoid a recurrence once my facial neuralgia has been cured?
A healthy lifestyle is essential to avoid a recurrence of trigeminal neuralgia. To do this, you need to understand how your body works, with the help of an osteopath. The osteopath ensures that the body's structures function properly and that the nerve in question no longer encounters functional obstacles.
By treating the problem at the source, osteopathic sessions help prevent relapse. To achieve the desired result, the osteopath will first assess the mechanism responsible for nerve compression. Depending on the type of neuralgia, several sessions may be recommended to stabilize the situation.
Trigeminal neuralgia treatment price in Turkey
The cost of diagnosing and treating trigeminal neuralgia in Turkey varies depending on the cause of the condition. However, the rates for medical care in hospitals and clinics in Turkey are generally very affordable. You can be assured of receiving quality treatment at a good price.
By contacting the consultants at Turquie Santé, you can choose from among the best clinics specializing in the treatment of facial neuralgia in Turkey.
Don't hesitate to request a free personalized quote.
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There are several causes for this disease such as:
- Compression of the nerve by a blood vessel;
- The presence of a tumor;
- Viral infection;
- Multiple sclerosis.
The recovery time is about a month with a gradual reduction in pain-killers.
The cost for the treatment of facial neuralgia in Turkey is not standard. It will be adapted to your needs according to the care and the type of surgery used.
