The Purpose of this Center is to provide a complete range of services for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with Trigeminal neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm. Patients may be referred for consultation only, care in partnership with referring physician, or complete management.

Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm Center

• Neurosurgeons specializing in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and glossopharyngeal neuralgia and informationabout the treatment of these diseases at MGH/Harvard
• Neurosurgeons specializing in the treatment of hemifacial spasm and information about the treatment of these diseases at MGH/Harvard
• Links to other information on trigeminal neuralgia

Neurosurgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (tic doloureux) and glossopharyngeal neuralgia.

Operations available include microvascular decompression and differential thermal rhizotomy or stereotactic radiofrequency thermal lesioning, (which was developed at MGH ):

• Xray pictures courtesy Dr Eskandar

  Fred G. Barker II, M.D.
• Emad N. Eskandar, M.D.
• Ernest S. Mathews, M.D.
• Trigeminal neuralgia links

Neurosurgical treatment of hemifacial spasm (tic convulsif). Treatments available include microvascular decompression and botulinum toxin injection:

• Fred G. Barker II, M.D.
• Emad N. Eskandar, M.D.
• Ernest S. Mathews, M.D.
• Link to more information about hemifacial spasm.
• References on Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School authors

Trigeminal Neuralgia links:

• Please add (and find) additional links in the Trigeminal Neuralgia/Hemifacial Spasm Guestbook
• References on Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
• Trigeminal Neuralgia Association Homepage
• Information on treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia
  • Microvascular decompression
  • Differential thermal rhizotomy (gangliolysis)
• TN-L an email discussion group devoted to trigeminal neuralgia and facial pain
  • You can join this group by sending the message "sub TN-L your name" to listserv@uafsysb.uark.edu
  • To send mail to the group, write to: tn-l@uafsysb.uark.edu
• Trigeminal Neuralgia Resources from Jakke Makela & The TNR Editors (recommended).
• An open discusssion on neuralgia is provided by the MGH NeurologyWebForums. Select Neuralgia.
• Another source of information about trigeminal neuralgia and microvascular decompression
• Information about Tegretol (carbamazepine) from www.mentalhealth.com
• More carbamazepine information from The United States Pharmacopeial Convention
• Baclofen information from The United States Pharmacopeial Convention
• Links to other online information regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and support of people with chronic pain syndromes
• Please add additional links regarding neuralgia and hemifacial spasm to our Guestbook

Hemifacial spasm/facial nerve links

• Facial Nerve Problems (UIowa)

References on Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm

Barker FG, Jannetta PJ, Babu RP, Pomonis S, Bissonette DJ, Jho HD. Long term outcome after operation for trigeminal neuralgia in patients with posterior fossa tumors. Journal of Neurosurg, 84:818-825, 1996.

Barker FG, Jannetta PJ, Bissonette DJ, Shields PT, Larkins MV, Jho HD. Microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm. Journal of Neurosurgery 82:201-10, 1995.

Scrivani S, Mathews ES, Keith D, Slawsby E. Percutaneous Differential Radiofrequency Thermal Rhizotomy for the Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia. Journal of Orofacial Pain 1995. Vol 9, No 1.

Referrals | Trigeminal/Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia Hemifacial Spasm |  Guestbook | Links