167 The Cost Effectiveness of Surgery For Trigeminal Neuralgia in Surgically Naive Patients, A Retrospective Study

Abstract INTRODUCTION: For 75% of patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN), the pain can be controlled with medications. For those who fail medication therapy, surgical options include microvascular decompression (MVD), percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy (PRFR), and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Few studies have explored cost effectiveness, particularly in surgically naive patients. METHODS: A retrospective chart review performed between 01/2003 and 01/2013 identified a total of 81 patients who underwent surgical treatment for TN (MVD = 39; PRFR = 16; SRS = 26). Outcome measures included facial pain [excellent (no pain, no medications), good (no pain, medications required), fair (>50% decrease in pain), and poor (