Percutaneous microcompression of the gasserian ganglion: personal experience.

The effectiveness of percutaneous microcompression of the gasserian ganglion, performed according to the technique proposed by Mullan and Lichtor, was evaluated in 74 patients affected by essential trigeminal neuralgia and compared to the results obtained with the RF thermocoagulation of Sweet and Wepsic. Similar results were obtained with the two methods but adverse side-effects were less common with microcompression. It is concluded that the microcompression should be recommended as a first choice among the different percutaneous procedures in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.