SPHENOPALATINE GANGLION RADIOFREQUENCY THERMOCOAGULATION

Course overview

SPHENOPALATINE GANGLION (SPG) NEURALGIA IS A COMPLEX DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC HEAD AND NECK PAIN WHICH OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY AUTONOMIC FEATURES. ALTHOUGH SYMPTOMS ARE HIGHLY VARIABLE, PATIENTS TYPICALLY HAVE DULL HEADACHES ASSOCIATED WITH PAIN IN THE MAXILLARY ARCH AND TEETH. THE ONSET OF INTENSE PAIN CAN BE ACCOMPANIED BY PROFUSE SWEATING AND VASOMOTOR CHANGES. THE SPG HAS BEEN A TARGET FOR VARIOUS PROCEDURES TO EASE THE SYMPTOMS OF MYOFASCIAL PAIN, POSTHERPETIC NEURALGIA, POST-TRAUMATIC HEADACHE, CLUSTER HEADACHE AND PAIN ORIGINATING FROM THE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT, AS WELL AS VARIOUS HEAD AND NECK CANCERS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ROLE OF RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION OF THE SPG, ITS INDICATIONS, CONTRAINDICATIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH FACIAL AND NEUROLOGICAL PAIN SYNDROMES.