Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition that affects the nerve that sends sensory information from the face back to the brain. The nerve becomes highly irritated, and even the slightest stimulation (touching the face, chewing, brushing the teeth) can cause severe facial pain.

The first line of treatment is medication. If this fails, patients may be considered for other treatment options, including percutaneous rhizotomy, microvascular decompression (MVD), gamma-knife, and other procedures in refractory cases. Microvascular decompression probably has the best long-term success, but it requires an open surgery. For this reason, many patients opt for less-invasive treatments.