[Experience of the use of gasserian ganglion balloon compression in patients with trigeminal neuralgia associated with multiple sclerosis]. / Opyt ballonnoi mikrokompressii gasserova uzla v lechenii trigeminal'noi nevralgii patsientov s rasseiannym sklerozom.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of gasserian ganglion balloon compression in patients with trigeminal neuralgia associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight patients (3 men, 5 women), aged from 46 to 66 years (mean age 55 years), with trigeminal neuralgia associated with MS underwent surgery. An average duration of the pain syndrome was 8,4 years. Six patients had previous surgeries due to facial pain. Percutaneous balloon compression of gasserian ganglion was performed to all patients. Follow up period was from 2 to 24 months. RESULTS: Six patients (75%) reported 100% of pain relief right after the surgery, 2 patients (25%) reported a significant decrease of pain (2-3 points on VAS). Pain recurrence occurred in 3 patients: in 4 months, in 12 months and in 6 months. All of them were operated repeatedly. After the surgery, hypoesthesia on the side of surgery was observed in all patients with a trend towards regression. There was no keratopathy or any complications. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous balloon compression of gasserian ganglion is an effective and minimally invasive method which can be performed repeatedly in patients with trigeminal neuralgia associated with MS.

[Spinal cord stimulation in the treatment of chronic pain syndromes].

AIM: The study objective was to estimate the efficacy of chronic epidural spinal cord stimulation in the treatment of patients with neuropathic pain syndrome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A system for chronic spinal cord stimulation (St. Jude) was implanted to 75 patients with neuropathic pain syndrome. Fifty three (70.7%) patients were diagnosed with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS); 9 (12.0%) patients had complex regional pain syndrome type II; 4 (5.3%) patients had diabetic polyneuropathy of the lower limbs; 3 (4.0%) patients had idiopathic pelvic-perineal pain; 2 (2.7%) patients had spinal stroke pain; 2 (2.7%) patients had postherpetic intercostal neuralgia; 1 (1.3%) patient had stump pain; 1 (1.3%) patient had spinal cord injury pain. The treatment efficacy was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) and DN4 questionnaire. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 18 months. RESULTS: 136 patients underwent test stimulation at the Center in 2014. A significant reduction in pain was observed in 75 (55.1%) patients. These patients underwent the second stage of surgery that included implantation of permanent electrodes and a generator. The mean VAS score was 6.5 (maximum: 10; minimum: 5) before surgery, 3.2 at discharge, and 3.1 after 3 and 6 months. The VAS score amounted to 3.6 after 12 months. Complications in the form of pain at the generator implantation site and the need for removal of the system occurred in 2 patients (2.6%), electrode migration was observed in 4 (5.3%) cases. CONCLUSION: Chronic epidural spinal cord stimulation is an effective and safe technique for the treatment of drug-resistant chronic neurogenic pain syndromes.

[The preliminary results of subthalamic nucleus stimulation after destructive surgery in Parkinson's disease]. / Predvaritel'nye rezul'taty stimulyatsii subtalamicheskogo yadra posle destruktivnykh operatsii pri bolezni Parkinsona.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of bilateral electrical stimulation (ES) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) after preceding pallidotomy or ventrolateral (VL) thalamotomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 9 patients with bilateral STN ES who had undergone previous unilateral destructive surgery on the subcortical structures: pallidotomy (5 patients) and VL thalamotomy (4). A control group consisted of 9 patients with STN ES, without prior destructive surgery. A clinical and neurological examination included quantitative assessment of motor disturbances using the Hoehn-Yahr scale and Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS). UPDRS was used to evaluate the motor activity (IIIrd part of the scale) and severity of drug-induced dyskinesia and motor fluctuations (IVth part of the scale). RESULTS: In the group of STN ES with preceding destruction of the subcortical structures, an improvement in motor functions in the early period (6 months) was 45%, and severity of drug-induced complications was decreased by 75%. In a group of STN DBS without destruction, motor disturbances were improved by 61%, and drug-induced complications were decreased by 77%. Improvement in motor functions amounted to 51.9% in patients with preceding pallidotomy (GPi destruction) and 37.5% in a group with preceding VL thalamotomy. The equivalent dose of levodopa was reduced by 51.39%, from 1,008±346 to 490±194, in the study group and by 55.04%, from 963±96 to 433±160, in the control group. CONCLUSION: Bilateral STN neurostimulation is effective after unilateral stereotaxic destruction of the subcortical structures in PD patients.