Active clinical trials for "Trigeminal Nerve Diseases"

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is the most common cause of facial pain. Medical treatment is the first therapeutic choice whereas surgery, including Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS), is indicated in case of pharmacological therapy failure. However, about 20% of subjects lack adequate pain relief after surgery. Virtual reality (VR) technology has been explored as a novel tool for reducing pain perception and might be the breakthrough in treatment-resistant cases. The investigators will conduct a prospective randomized comparative study to detect the effectiveness of GKRS aided by VR-training vs GKRS alone in TN patients. In addition, using MRI and artificial intelligence (AI), the investigators will identify pre-treatment abnormalities of central nervous system circuits associated with pain to predict response to treatment. The investigators expect that brain-based biomarkers, with clinical features, will provide key information in the personalization of treatment options and bring a huge impact in the management and understanding of pain in TN.

A phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) identified an association between a loss of function variant in the human alpha 2B adrenergic receptor gene and trigeminal nerve disorders. Guanfacine is the oldest alpha-2 adrenergic agonist in clinical use and is approved for hypertension and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We hypothesize that guanfacine will be an effective adjunct to lidocaine for the treatment of neuropathic pain by enhancing and prolonging pain relief due to its activation of alpha-2 adrenergic receptors. The objectives of the study will be to evaluate the efficacy and safety of guanfacine in combination with lidocaine for trigeminal nerve block procedures for pain management in trigeminal neuralgia patients. This study will evaluate the efficacy of guanfacine in reducing acute pain and extending duration of pain relief when delivered in combination with lidocaine as a trigeminal nerve block, measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) data collected at specific time points after each injection.

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of sural nerve transfer and cadaveric nerve graft to re-establish corneal sensation in patients with neurotrophic keratopathy.

This study is a single center, placebo-controlled, double blind, randomized, phase II pilot to evaluate the efficacy of erenumab-aooe in the management of trigeminal neuropathic pain comparing erenumab-aooe vs Placebo. A total of 40 patients (20 each arm) aged 18-65 years old of either sex, and any race or ethnicity, presenting trigeminal neuropathic pain will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 parallel, double-blind clinical trial, to receive either Erenumab or placebo. Participants will attend 6 clinic visits (Visit 0-Visit 5) over a period of 21 weeks. Changes in pain intensity and other pain related outcomes of trigeminal neuropathic pain will be assessed. Blood samples will be collected, and participants will need to keep a daily symptom diary and answer some other questionnaires.

Peripheral painful traumatic trigeminal neuropathy (PPTTN) are poorly relieved by existing treatments which in addition induce many adverse effects. BTX, which blocks the exocytosis of neurotransmitters, can be captured by axonal retrograde transport in primary nociceptive neurons. Injected in the painful area, it might therefore inhibit the release of algogenic neurotransmitters, at both the peripheral and central levels and thus reduce pain. One study reported such an effect in neuropathic spinal pain. A recent study reported an analgesic effect in trigeminal neuralgia.

An observational study following up with trigeminal neuralgia patients to understand their comorbid facial pain condition, specifically temporomandibular disorder.

Rationale: In 2016, Henssen et al. discuss that orofacial pain may be conducted in a bilateral fashion, inducing activation of both thalami [1]. For this reason, bilateral stimulation of the motor cortex is thought to induce a stronger analgesic effect compared to unilateral motor cortex stimulation by transcranial magnetic stimulation. Objective: To investigate the superiority of bilateral transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over unilateral TMS of the motor cortex Study design: Double-blind, randomized controlled trial Study population: Patients that suffer from chronic orofacial pain and have not been treated (yet) with any form of neuromodulation. Intervention (if applicable): One group receives bilateral TMS whereas the other group receives unilateral TMS for one month. After one month, the groups switch treatment protocol. Main study parameters/endpoints: Modification in intensity of pain as measured using the VAS, the influence the relief of pain with regard to quality of life and daily activities using the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: Time investment of patients.

This is retrospective research mainly aims to determine the patterns of symptoms, clinical and radiological findings and outcomes in patients with trigeminal neuropathy following trauma or iatrogenic damage and how this translates into costs for the patient and society, work disability and medication use. The trigeminal nerve and its branches are at risk of damage during multiple dental and maxillofacial procedures: endodontics, extractions, removal of wisdom teeth, implant placement, use of local anaesthesia, orthognatic surgery. In the event of damage to these nerve branches, there is a high risk of developing a neuropathic pain that is considered very disabling for patients and that interferes with daily activities (eating, drinking, speaking, kissing, etc.). Moreover, there are few medicinal or surgical techniques available to eliminate neuropathy or reduce the symptoms. Causal procedures (e.g. the removal of wisdom teeth) are among the most frequently performed surgical procedures. The number of injuries increases every year, partly due to an increase in dental procedures. The often relatively minimal intervention combined with the major impact of these injuries on the patient's quality of life sometimes leads to medico-legal actions. The limited symptom control with current therapies of these post-traumatic neuropathies of the trigeminal nerve causes frustration and impotence in both the patient and the attending physician, which can also lead to medical shopping. Based on chart analysis, this study will examine the causes, possible risk factors and presenting symptoms, how this is reflected in clinical research and examinations, and which treatments are being instituted. Patient records from the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery department between January 2010 and October 2018 will be checked. In addition, we wish to check the costs incurred by these patients as well as the work disability. To this end, a collaboration is being organised with Christian Mutuality (CM), the largest health insurance provider in Belgium. In order to increase the power of the study, the clinical data from the already coded, retrospective dataset of Prof. Tara Renton, co-investigator, will be transferred to the dataset of this new study.