Trigeminal neuralgia can be a frustrating and often debilitating condition. Unfortunately, most common over-the-counter and prescription pain medicines don’t work for people with trigeminal neuralgia. More modern treatments, including surgical procedures can reduce or eliminate the pain.

Surgical treatments for trigeminal neuralgia may include:

• Microvascular decompression to remove blood vessels that are touching the nerve
• Removal of part of the nerve itself
• Radiosurgery
• Glycerol injections to damage the nerve and block pain
• Balloon compression, in which your surgeon inflates a balloon to damage the nerve
• Radiofrequency lesioning to destroy specific nerve fibers by creating a lesion

Surgery for trigeminal neuralgia requires excellent care and precision because the involved area is very small, and should be performed by a trained specialist.