Ultrasound-guided trigeminal nerve block via the pterygopalatine fossa: an effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia and atypical facial pain.

Background: Patients presenting with facial pain often have ineffective pain relief with medical therapy. Cases refractory to medical management are frequently treated with surgical or minimally invasive procedures with variable success rates. We report on the use of ultrasound-guided trigeminal nerve block via the pterygopalatine fossa in patients following refractory medical and surgical treatment.