Trigeminal Ganglion Electrical Stimulation for Trigeminal Nerve Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Retrospective Study

Mengzhen Xu,1 Jin Liu,1 Hui Zhang,2 Ruiting Li,3 Junni Wei1 1School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pain Management, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pain Management, Taiyuan Central Hospital, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Hui Zhang, Department of Pain Management, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 351 13934043126, Fax + 0351-4639114, Email hzhang1974@163.comPurpose: To investigate the clinical outcome of trigeminal ganglion electrical stimulation for the treatment of trigeminal postherpetic neuralgia (TPHN).Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical data was performed on six patients who suffered from severe postherpetic neuralgia involving the trigeminal nerve maxillary and mandibular branch. They were admitted under the Pain Management Department of the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from July 2022 to February 2023 and underwent trigeminal ganglion electrical stimulation therapy. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, pregabalin dosage, pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were recorded before treatment, as well as after treatment at 1, 4, 8, 12, and 24-week. Adverse reactions related to the treatment were also documented.Results: After trigeminal ganglion electrical stimulation therapy, the VAS scores, PSQI scores, anxiety scores, depression scores, and pregabalin dosage of six patients showed significant reductions at 1, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks. (P < 0.05). No serious adverse reactions occurred in any of the patients.Conclusion: Trigeminal ganglion electrical stimulation effectively relieved postherpetic neuralgia in the distribution areas of the trigeminal nerve 2 and 3 branches, reduced the dosage of analgesics, improved the quality of sleep, and alleviated anxiety and depression symptoms in patients. Our data suggested that It was a safe and effective clinical.Keywords: trigeminal postherpetic neuralgia, trigeminal ganglion stimulation, therapy, efficacy