Efficacy and Safety of Percutaneous Ozone Injection Around Gasserian Ganglion for the Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background

Ozone injection around Gasserian ganglion (OIAGG) has been reported to be an effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia (TN); however, there remain areas for improvement. To overcome one of these limitations, a multicenter examination of application would be extremely helpful.

Objective

The goal of this report was to assess the efficacy of OIAGG for refractory TN across multiple centers and to explore factors predictive of successful treatment.

Design

A multicenter, retrospective study.

Setting

The study was conducted across 3 pain centers across China.

Patients and Methods

A total of 103 subjects from 3 pain centers were enrolled in the study. An ozone-oxygen mixture gas at a concentration of 30 µg/mL was injected into the area around the Gasserian ganglion performed under C-arm X-ray guidance. Primary outcome measures included a pain assessment using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) pain intensity scale. Clinical assessment of patients for these outcome measures was performed at pretreatment, post-treatment, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after the OIAGG.

Results

Successful pain relief was defined as a score within BNI grades I–IIIa. The pain relief rates at post-treatment, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after the procedure were 88.35%, 86.87%, 84.46% and 83.30%, respectively. The VAS at each observation time point was significantly different from the preoperative levels (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that previous nerve damage had a significant effect on the treatment results. No significant complications or side effects were found during or after treatment.

Conclusion

This multicenter research confirms our previous single center results that OIAGG is both effective and safe for patients with TN.