TIC.html University of Florida Department of Neurosurgery Trigeminal Neuralgia and Cranial Nerve Disorders Dr. Rhoton has extensive experience in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm, and other conditions such as tumors involving the cranial nerves.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a disorder in which sudden lightning-like pains strike the face.
In its severe form it is regarded as the most excruciating pain that a person can experience. Drug therapy is often effective in relieving the pain, but when medications fail surgical treatment will provide relief in almost all cases. Nearly 2000 patients with trigeminal neuralgia have had surgery by Dr. Rhoton at the University of Florida using either the stereotactic radiofrequency procedure or a microvascular decompression operation. The stereotactic radiofrequency procedure is a needle type procedure which involves numbing the branch of the trigeminal nerve in which the pain is located. The main advantage of the radiofrequency procedure is that it can be done as an outpatient with the patient returning home a few hours after the operation.