Clinical Research Directory

The Efficacy and Safety of Pulsed Radiofrequency Combined With Platelet-rich Plasma for the Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), characterized by brief, recurrent paroxysms of lancinating pain in the distribution of 1 or more branches of the trigeminal nerve (fifth cranial nerve \[CNV\]), is one of the most common, severe forms of neuropathic pain. Current standard of care for TN is the sodium channel blockers such as carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine. Surgical treatments involve percutaneous procedures, stereotactic radiosurgery and open surgical treatment. Each of these treatments have drawback. In recent years, pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) has been shown to be a promising treatment option for TN. But it was reported that the long-term outcomes of PRF was not satisfactory. Thus, there is an overwhelming need for finding a safe, nondestructive treatment option that is more effective for TN. PRP releases a variety of bioactive factors and adhesion proteins, which are responsible for activating hemostatic cascade reaction, synthesizing new connective tissue and vascular reconstruction, to initiate tissue repair processes. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is the processed liquid fraction of autologous peripheral blood with a platelet concentration above the baseline. Studies have shown that it can reduce inflammation and promote nerve repair so it has also shown broad prospects in treating neuropathic pain. In 2012, Doss AX. published a case report indicated that PRP might be effective in TN treatment. In 2023, a randomized controlled study showed that CT-guided PRF combined with PRP can effectively treat postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and the therapeutic effect is better than that of traditional PRF combined with glucocorticoid therapy in patients with PHN, which is similar to TN in pathology. Thus, we suppose that PRF combined with PRP might show better effectiveness than PRF alone for TN and conducted a prospective trail comparing the clinical efficacy and safety of PRP combined with PRF versus PRF alone. This study is designed as a prospective cohort study, open-label study with a 12 months follow-up period, to compare the efficacy of PRF combined with PRP versus PRP alone for TN treatment.

CT-guided vs Fluoroscopy-guided Trigeminal Ganglion Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation for Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuralgia

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness and safety of CT-guided versus fluoroscopy-guided trigeminal ganglion radiofrequency thermocoagulation (TG-RFT) in treating idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in adults aged 18 and older. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does CT-guided TG-RFT provide better pain relief compared to fluoroscopy-guided TG-RFT? * What are the differences in medication consumption between the two methods? * What are the procedure-related adverse events for both methods? Investigators will compare CT-guided TG-RFT to fluoroscopy-guided TG-RFT to see if one method is superior in treating idiopathic TN. Participants will: * Undergo either CT-guided or fluoroscopy-guided TG-RFT procedure * Be monitored post-procedure and followed up at 1, 3, and 6 months for pain relief, medication consumption, and adverse events.