BMC Neurology · Published 2026-07-15 · DOI 10.1186/s12883-026-05118-7
Tzu-Chiang Peng, Chun-Fu Lin, Cheng-Chia Lee, Kang-Du Liou, Huai-Che Yang
Abstract Background and objectives Radiosurgery is a minimally invasive therapy for intractable classical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) with favorable outcomes. However, a little of studies have reported about the effects of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) on post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Herein, we report our institutional experience and aim to compare the outcomes of classical TN versus PHN after SRS. Methods A case-control study of four patients with PHN and 16 control patients with TN who underwent SRS was performed to evaluate the probability of pain relief, pain recurrence, complications, and medication-free status. Results Three of four patients with PHN exhibited significant pain relief and discontinued drug use after radiosurgery. The latent period between SRS and perceived pain improvement ranged from 0.3 to 1 month. Two patients in PHN groups sustained minor recurrent pain along the previously affected location at 2 and 2.5 years after treatment. Compared with patients with TN, those with PHN were less likely to respond favorably to SRS, exhibiting a lower initial pain relief rate (75% vs. 94%), a higher pain recurrence rate (50% vs. 19%), and a higher incidence of post-treatment numbness (75% vs. 38%). However, due to the relatively small sample size in each group, the study was underpowered to detect statistically significant differences. Conclusions Our preliminary results demonstrated that three of four patients achieved pain palliation following radiosurgery for PHN, with a median latency period of one month. Radiosurgery may be a feasible and safe therapeutic option for these clinically challenging cases of PHN.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
Read the article at the publisher →
Peng, T., Lin, C., Lee, C., et al. (2026). Stereotactic radiosurgery for post-herpetic trigeminal neuralgia: results of a case-control study. BMC Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-026-05118-7