• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 1997

Background : There are several treatment of trigeminal neuralgia including Gasserian Ganglion Block. This paper retrospectively analyze the efficacy of Gasserian Ganglion Block as main treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Methods : We studied 55 patients for followings; sex, age, duration from onset to visit, consulted mediator, causes, characteristics of pain, affected area, types of block, kinds and volume of used neurolytic agents, duration from first block to repeat block, types of repeat block, complications, if surgery was necessary after block. Results : Characteristic items of trigeminal neuralgia are similar with other studies. Mean duration of pain relief was 23 months. The duration was shortened in the repeat block. There were no significant complication. Conclusion : Considering Gasserian Ganglion Block as main treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is an effective and safe method. Therefore we would like to recommend the need to increase public awareness of trigeminal neuralgia and its possible treatment in pain clinics through mass commanication.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.237-240
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• 2008

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a disorder characterized by herpetic eruptions on the auricle, facial paralysis, and vestibulocochlear dysfunction, and is attributed to varicella zoster virus infection in the geniculate ganglion. Ramsay Hunt syndrome accounts for about 10% cases of facial palsy. We report a 46-year-old healthy man developed left side skin vesicles on the face with severe pain. We thought of the trigeminal herpes zoster. He was treated with intravenous acyclovir, and stellate ganglion block daily. Four days later, brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed small areas of enhancement in the seventh cranial nerve and eighth cranial nerve, not in the fifth cranial nerve. Eight days later, the left facial palsy was come. We confirmed him as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. We started steroid therapy immediately. He recovered completely a month later. The patient was improved through the early antiviral therapy, steroid medication and stellate ganglion block.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.183-186
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• 1996

When medical therapy fail to relieve pain at tolerable level for patients confirmed with trigeminal neuralgia, presence of mass lesion excluded, surgery is indicated. Innumerable surgical strategies have been attempted for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia but only four have proven appropriate: (1)stereotactic radiofrequency gasserian ganglionotomy, (2) percutaneous glycerol gangliolysis, (3) percutaneous microcompression, (4) microvascular decompression. Radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the gasserian ganglion stems from the efforts of Sweet. This technique is the surgical treatment of choice around the world for surgical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. Since 1986, over 14,000 cases have been reported utilizing this technique. To improve the treatment method further, an electrode with a flexible curved tip has been developed for easier and more precise electrode placement and lesion production during the thermocoagulation of gasserian ganglion. This operation was performed recently on three patients at Hallym University Hospital. using a curved tip electrode. Complete relief of pain was achieved for all patient. However, some complications were noted.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.249-256
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• 1998

Glial fibrillary acidic proteins (GFAP) are a group of intermediate filaments that are distributed in the cytoplasm of glial cells. GFAP immunoreactivity (GFAP-IR) increase after central and peripheral nerve injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine change of GFAP-IR in rat trigeminal ganglion satellite cells following the axotomy of inferior alveolar nerve(IAN). The immunohistochemistry was carried out using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex(ABC) method. 1. Control group : Astrocytes in central root of trigeminal ganglion had strong GFAP-IR, but satellite cells of trigeminal ganglion occasionally had GFAP-IR. The patterns of reactivity in satellite cells of trigeminal ganglion were not concenturated in any specific region of trigeminal ganglion. 2. Three day group after IAN axotomy : There were highly GFAP-IR in satellite cells of trigeminal ganglion in mandibular region. GFAP-IR in maxillary and ophthalmic regions were less intense compared to mandibular region. 3. Seven day group after IAN axotomy : GFAP-IR that were increased compared to control group were seen in the mandibular region. But GFAP-IR were less intense compared to three day group. These results suggest that GFAP-IR increase in specific region of trigeminal ganglion following peripheral axotomy. therefore we suppose that GFAP study offer research tool in trigeminal neuralgia.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.100-104
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• 1993

Malignant tumors of the paranasal sinuses are quite rare entity, with maxillary neoplasms accounting for less than 1 percent of all head and neck malignancies. When considering the paranasal sinuses alone, 77 percent of cancers arise in the maxillary sinuses. There is no situation more frustrating than the management of the patients with chronic facial pain due to cancer. The initial step in managing patients with cancer pain is the use of oncologic therapy in the form of radiotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy, alone or combined, either to effect a cure or decrease the size of the tumor and thus decrease or eliminate the pain. When oncologic therapy is ineffective in providing relief, the pain must be treated by one or more of the followings: Systemic analgesics and adjuvant drugs, psychologic techniques of analgesia, neurostimulating techniques, neuroablative surgical procedures, regional analgesia with local anesthetics or neurolytic blocks. An 82-year old patient had severe pain of the orbital and infraorbital region due to squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus. We successfully treated this patient with the percutaneous retrogasserian ethanol gangliolysis by a H$\ddot{a}$rtel approach, and the analgesia lasts until the death of the patient.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.293-298
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• 1999

Intracranial involvement by adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is very rare and there is no report of intracranial extension from the palate ACC in Korea. Intracranial involvement can occur in one of three ways: direct extension, perineural spread, and hematogenous spread. A case report of a 35-year-old woman with intracranial ACC is presented. Initially she had ACC of the right palate and was treated by surgery and postoperative radiation therapy. Three years and 10 months later, the paresthesia in the distribution of ophthalmic and maxillary branch of right trigeminal none developed without evidence of recurrence in CT scan. Ptosis and total ophthalmoplegia developed sequentially and the second operation was peformed. It was suggested that the tumor was spread perineurally along the trigeminal news into the Gasserian ganglion and then cavernous sinus and orbit. Seven years and 6 months after the first operation, direct intracranial extension into the right temporal lobe developed via sphenoid bone, sphenoid sinus and temporal bone and the third operation was done. And then lung metastasis was diagnosed. She is alive for 9 years 5 months after first operation.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.227-237
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• 2007

Microglial cell activation is known to contribute to neuropathic pain following spinal sensory nerve injuries. In this study, I investigated its mechanisms in the case of trigeminal sensory nerve injuries by which microglial cell and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) activation in the medullary dorsal horn (MDH) would contribute to the facial pain hypersensitivity following mandibular nerve transection (MNT). And also investigated the changes of trigeminal ganglion neurons and ERK, p38 MAPK manifestations. Activation of microglial cells was monitored at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 60 day using immunohistochemical analyses. Microglial cell activation was primarily observed in the superficial laminae of the MDH. Microglial cell activation was initiated at postoperative 1 day, maximal at 3 day, maintained until 14 day and gradually reduced and returned to the basal level by 60 days after MNT. Pain hypersensitivity was also initiated and attenuated almost in parallel with microglial cell activation pattern. To investigate the contribution of the microglial cell activation to the pain hypersensitivity, minocycline, an inhibitor of microglial cell activation by means of p38 MAPK inhibition, was administered. Minocycline dose-dependently attenuated the development of the pain hypersensitivity in parallel with inhibition of microglial cell and p38 MAPK activation following MNT. Mandibular nerve transection induced the activation of ERK, but did not p38 MAPK in the trigeminal ganglion. These results suggest that microglial cell activation in the MDH and p38 MAPK activation in the hyperactive microglial cells play an important role in the development of facial neuropathic pain following MNT. The results also suggest that ERK activation in the trigeminal ganglion contributes microglial cell activation and facial neuropathic pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.154-163
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• 1988

In 1983, Sten H$\ddot{a}$kanson first reported the clinical safety and efficacy of retrogasserian glycerol injection as a treatment of typical trigeminal neuralgia in 96 of 100 patients during a follow-up period of 1~6 years. Since September 1987, we have injected sterile pure glycerol into the trigeminal cistern using an anterior percutaneous approach via the foramen ovale (H$\ddot{a}$rtel route) for treatment of tic douloureux in 12 patients who were suffering from attacks pain of following discontinuation of carbamazepine. The results were as follows; 1) Eight patients were completely free from pain attacks with a single dose of glycerol (0.4 ml). The remaining four patients needed a second dose (0.4 ml) several days later following the single dose. The degree of patient's subjective satisfaction by those injections was very good in 11 and fair in one. 2) During the follow-up period (1~13 months), persistent sensory deficit as determined by the pin prick test, appeared to be mild in 10 and moderate in one patient. There was no sensory deficit in one patient. further attacks of pain from those injections were still noted. 3) As a transient complication, there was headache in all patient, facial hematoma in 4, nausea and vomiting in two each, and vertigo and herpes simplex in one each. In conclusion, we confirmed that the above glycerol injections into the trigeminal cistern were clinically very effective as a treatment of tic douloureux even though the follow-up period was short.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2012

Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), responding to noxious cold (${\leq}17^{\circ}C$) and pungent compounds, is implicated in nociception, but little is known about the coexpression of TRPA1 and other channels or receptors involved in the nociception in craniofacial regions. To address this issue, we characterized the TRPA1-immunopositive (+) neurons in the rat trigeminal ganglion (TG) and investigated their colocalization with other proteins known to be expressed in nociceptive neurons, such as transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV1) and $P2X_3$ receptor, using light microscopic immunofluorescence labeling method with TRPA1 and TRPV1 or $P2X_3$ antisera. The majority of TRPA1+ neurons costained for TRPV1 (TRPV1+/TRPA1+; 58.8%, 328/558) and 41.2% only expressed TRPA1 but not TRPV1. The TRPV1+/TRPA1+ neurons were small and medium sized. In addition, we investigated the colocalization of TRPA1 with $P2X_3$, a nonselective cation channel activated by ATP that may be released in the extracellular space as a result of tissue damage and inflammation. Among all TRPA1+ TG neurons, 26.1% (310/1186) costained for $P2X_3$, whereas 73.9% (876/1186) of TRPA1+ neurons did not coexpress $P2X_3$. $P2X_3$+/TRPA1+ neurons were predominantly small and medium sized. These results suggest that TRPA1+ neurons coexpressing TRPV1 or $P2X_3$ are involved in specific roles in the transmission and processing of orofacial nociceptive information by noxious cold, heat, and inflammation.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.197-205
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the treatment pattern of patients with neuropathic pain (NeP) in Korea through computerized database of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRAS) over three years' period from 2003 to 2005. The results showed that the numbers of treatment visits were the highest for diabetic neuropathy (DN), followed by postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in order. Top 3 specialties for treatment visits due to NeP conditions were neurology, neurosurgery and anesthesiology. While cost of a treatment visit was higher in anesthesiology and emergency clinics compared to other clinics, there was a tendency to increase costs for visits to clinics of rehabilitation medicine and family medicine over the three years. Cost of dental visits was relatively high for TN, atypical facial pain (AFP) and atypical odontalgia (AO). Surgeries frequently applied to patients with NeP were sympathetic plexus or ganglion block, block of peripheral branch of spinal nerve and cranial nerve or its peripheral branch block. Most common prescribed medication were anticonvulsants, anti-inflammatory analgesics and anti-psychotic drugs while anti-inflammatory analgesics were overwhelmingly frequently prescribed for AO and glossodynia. Based on the results of this study, NeP disorders more relevant to dentists were AO, TN and AFP, TN of which seems to be the most important in terms of patients' number and cost for treatment visits. This indicates that dentists, especially oral medicine specialists should actively participate in management of TN, AO and AFP and share relevant information with patients and community.