CyberKnife Eases Pain
INNOVATIVE TREATMENT: CyberKnife has been very successful in easing pain caused by trigeminal neuralgia, or TN.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a painfully debilitating disorder.
Commonly referred to as TN, the condition is a disorder of the trigeminal, or fifth cranial, nerve that controls sensations in the face. The result is often intense pain on either side of the patient’s face, in the forehead or along the jaw.
The culprit is usually a blood vessel compressing the trigeminal nerve. Pain can be triggered when cold air touches specific facial areas or with movements like chewing, talking or swallowing. Episodes of pain can arise suddenly and last several years or even decades, while the number of individual attacks can be seasonal and vary from a few each year to several a day. Severe cases of TN can be emotionally incapacitating for patients and significantly impact their quality of life.
Further complicating TN is the fact that diagnoses can be difficult. Many TN patients assume the pain is caused by dental problems, even undergoing a root canal or tooth extraction. Only when the discomfort persists do many patients seek additional treatment. While tests can rule out certain conditions, TN is usually diagnosed based on the patient’s description of symptoms.
Conventional treatment typically involves powerful painkilling drugs or other antidepressant or anticonvulsive medication. CyberKnife technology, however, has opened the door for painless treatment of TN and has given hope to many patients with this condition.
CyberKnife provides a form of treatment called stereotactic radiosurgery, a noninvasive method of treating tumors with high-dose radiation precisely aimed from different angles. It is the world’s only robotic radiosurgery system, comprised of a compact linear accelerator – a machine that generates a radiation beam – attached to a highly maneuverable robotic arm. Treatment doesn’t require surgery, so there’s no cutting and no anesthesia involved.
With TN patients, doctors use the CyberKnife to interrupt nerve fibers that transmit pain while keeping intact those that transmit sensation. Treatment can be particularly effective, and many TN sufferers experience immediate relief.
“This technology allows us to reach the exact problem area in a patient’s body without conventional surgery,” says Dr. Diane Heaton, Oklahoma CyberKnife medical director. “Treatment can be effective, and patients don’t experience the pain and risk associated with a surgical operation.”
Oklahoma CyberKnife has treated a growing number of TN patients in recent years, developing nationally recognized expertise in using CyberKnife to treat the condition. Dr. Heaton and her team have conducted research studies on CyberKnife treatment of TN. In one study, their research showed that 13 of the 19 patients in the study experienced complete pain relief following CyberKnife treatment, and all but two of the remaining six experienced at least some relief. “Seeing TN patients’ relief after CyberKnife treatment is one of the most rewarding aspects of managing their care,” Heaton says. “Given how debilitating the disorder is, it is a life-changing event for these patients.”
In addition to TN, Oklahoma CyberKnife treats several different types of malignant and benign tumors in the brain, spine, lung, liver, pancreas, prostate, kidney and eye. Trigeminal neuralgia is one of the center’s most frequently treated conditions. Contact Oklahoma CyberKnife at 918-949-6676 or at www.oklahomack.com for more information. Most insurance plans and Medicare are accepted.
In partnership with Hillcrest Medical Center and local physicians, Oklahoma CyberKnife is a U.S. Radiosurgery facility located at 6802 S. Olympia Ave. in Tulsa
Updated 02-08-2012
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