Trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Our experts offer innovative medication therapies and the latest targeted, minimally invasive procedures for pain relief.

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Why choose UCSF Health for trigeminal neuralgia care?

At UCSF Health, you receive advanced treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, a condition that causes severe facial pain. Our specialists first use comprehensive diagnostics to determine whether your symptoms are caused by trigeminal neuralgia or a different condition.

You have a full range of nonsurgical and surgical treatment options, including microvascular decompression, a surgery to relieve pressure on nerves. We helped pioneer the innovative sling transposition procedure, a new microvascular decompression technique, which uses a sling to move the blood vessel away from the trigeminal nerve.

As a top referral hospital, we see a large number of patients. This experience enables us to find the right treatment approach for you. We take a detailed and thoughtful approach to your care, offering surgery only when we're confident it will help alleviate your pain.

  • Collaborative, comprehensive approach

    Your care team includes several specialists, and we provide the full spectrum of care before, during and after your treatment.

  • Extensive expertise

    We are one of the few trigeminal neuralgia programs in the U.S. Our high volume of patients gives us unique expertise in performing procedures and managing complications.

  • Commitment to pain relief

    You have access to alternative pain management options and a comprehensive range of procedures. Our goal is to relieve your pain, so we explore every option.

  • Ongoing care

    We support you through all stages of trigeminal neuralgia treatment, including medication management and post-surgical care.

Comprehensive trigeminal neuralgia care at UCSF Health

A comprehensive diagnostic process helps us rule out other conditions that may be causing the pain. Once we confirm a trigeminal neuralgia diagnosis, we explore every possibility to bring you relief. Your primary care team includes:

  • Neurologists

  • Neurosurgeons

  • Pain medicine specialists

  • Nurse practitioners

We use a highly collaborative approach to provide the most comprehensive, effective care. We work closely with our colleagues in other UCSF Health specialties when needed, so you also may receive care from experts in:

Advanced diagnostic techniques

We use state-of-the-art MRI imaging, specifically designed to visualize all the major branches of the trigeminal nerve. These detailed MRI images enable us to pinpoint problems that may be causing your pain and offer more effective relief.

Comprehensive trigeminal neuralgia treatment options

We treat a high volume of patients, giving us a deep understanding of the risks and benefits of different treatment options. We use our knowledge to match you with the best treatment.

A full range of therapies is available at UCSF Health, including:

Medication

We have extensive experience with a range of medications, including those outside of the standard treatments. Our experts think creatively about medication combinations and try multiple strategies to relieve your pain.

Nerve blocks

Nerve block injections can provide short-term, and sometimes long-term, pain relief. They can help reduce the need for pain medications. Nerve block procedures we offer include:

  • Trigeminal ganglion blocks

  • Trigeminal nerve division blocks

  • Sphenopalatine ganglion blocks

Minimally invasive interventions and surgeries

Our surgeons perform a range of minimally invasive interventions and surgeries, which aim to block pain or relieve pressure on the trigeminal nerve. These include:

  • Microvascular decompression (using a Teflon pad or sling transposition)

  • Pulsed radiofrequency ablation

  • Gamma Knife procedure

We're leaders in developing newer, safer treatments for trigeminal neuralgia. You may have access to next-generation treatments through our clinical trials, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation or deep brain stimulation.

Note for referring physicians

Patients can be referred directly for a neurosurgery consult if:

  • They've been diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia

  • Their pain is not responsive to medication

Please refer all other patients to our neurology team.

Trigeminal neuralgia treatment options at UCSF Health

Edward Chang, MD, describes the cause and symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia. He discusses the range of advanced treatment options at UCSF Health.

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Award-winning care

We're a leading hospital for neurological care, according to U.S. News & World Report.

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