Abstract: Objective To investigate the prostecdtive therapeutic efficacy of pulsed radiofrenquency and radiofrequency thermocoagulationof the Gasserian ganglion guided with spiral CT on trigeminal neuralgia. Methods 100 patients with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgiawere treated with pulsed radiofrenquency or radiofrequency thermocoagulation of gasserian ganglion. The numeric rating scales (NRS) ofpain were recorded before and 0.5 year, 1 year, and 2 years after treatment. Results There was no difference in NRS within 1 year, but the recurrencerate was high in the paitents accepted pulsed radiofrenquency 2 years later (P<0.01). Conclusion Pulsed radiofrenquency of thegasserian ganglion is safe and effective on trigeminal neuralgia, but poor in long-term outcome.

Key words: trigeminal neuralgia, gasserian ganglion, pulsed radiofrenquency, radiofrequency thermocoagulation