Diffusion tensor imaging for assessment of microstructural changes associate with treatment outcome at one-year after radiofrequency Rhizotomy in trigeminal neuralgia

  • Shu Tian Chen
  • , Jen Tsung Yang
  • , Hsu Huei Weng
  • , Hsueh Lin Wang
  • , Mei Yu Yeh
  • , Yuan Hsiung Tsai*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is characterized by facial pain that may be sudden, intense, and recurrent. Neurosurgical interventions, such as radiofrequency rhizotomy, can relieve TN pain, but their mechanisms and effects are unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the microstructural tissue changes of the trigeminal nerve (TGN) in patients with TN after they underwent radiofrequency rhizotomy. Methods: Thirty-seven patients with TN were recruited, and diffusion tensor imaging was obtained before and two weeks after radiofrequency rhizotomy. By manually selecting the cisternal segment of the TGN, we measured the volume of the TGN, fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). The TGN volume and mean value of the DTI metrics of the post-rhizotomy lesion side were compared with those of the normal side and those of the pre-rhizotomy lesion side, and they were correlated to the post-rhizotomy visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores after a one-year follow-up. Results: The alterations before and after rhizotomy showed a significantly increased TGN volume and FA, and a decreased ADC, AD, and RD. The post-rhizotomy lesion side showed a significantly decreased TGN volume, FA, and AD compared with the normal side; however, no significant difference in the ADC and RD were found between the groups. The TGN volume was significantly higher in the non-responders than in the responders (P = 0.016). Conclusion: Our results may reflect that the effects of radiofrequency rhizotomy in TN patients include axonal damage with perineural edema and that prolonged swelling associated with recurrence might be predicted by MRI images. Further studies are necessary to understand how DTI metrics can quantitatively represent the pathophysiology of TN and to examine the application of DTI in the treatment of TN.

Original languageEnglish
Article number62
JournalBMC Neurology
Volume19
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 12 04 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Diffusion tensor imaging
  • Nerve volume
  • Radiofrequency rhizotomy
  • Treatment outcome
  • Trigeminal neuralgia

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