Microvascular Decompression versus Radiofrequency Ablation in Trigeminal Neuralgia of the Maxillary and Mandibular Divisions.

 Although medical treatment is the mainstay of therapy, in trigeminal neuralgia (TN), patients failing to respond to it make them candidates to ablative or nonablative procedures.  The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of Microvascular decompression (MVD) and radiofrequency (RF) thermocoagulation in the management of TN affecting the mandibular and maxillary divisions.  Retrospective analysis of the data of 40 patients suffering from intractable classical TN affecting the maxillary or mandibular divisions or both was carried out.