Combined pulsed and thermal radiofrequency versus thermal radiofrequency alone in the treatment of recurrent trigeminal neuralgia after microvascular decompression: A double blinded comparative study.

Background: Recurrent trigeminal neuralgia (RTN) is a common clinical problem and pain recurs in many patients after microvascular decompression (MVD). We evaluated the effect of adding pulsed radiofrequency to radiofrequency thermocoagulation at 60°C compared to radiofrequency thermocoagulation at 70°C alone in the treatment of recurrent trigeminal neuralgia after microvascular decompression.

Methods: 40 patients with recurrent trigeminal neuralgia after microvascular decompression were randomly divided into two equal groups.