Abstract: Objective: To study the clinical curative effect of treating trigeminal neuralgia patients with selective terminal branch radiofrequency therapy. Methods: 158 cases of primary trigeminal neuralgia patients were chosen and treated with RF (radiofrequency) therapy by determining the dominant Terminal branches according to the attack range. Results: 156 cases respond effectively to the first RF treatment and the effective rate reaches 98.73%. 42 among them have a relapse afterwards but respond well to the second RF treatment. None of these cases suffered from serious complications. Conclusion: It is quite safe to treat trigeminal neuralgia patients with selective terminal branch radiofrequency therapy and the curative effects tend to be satisfactory. As a minimally invasive method, the selective terminal branch radiofrequency therapy proves to have great clinical practical value.

Key words: Trigeminal neuralgia , Terminal branch , Radiofrequency therapy , Curative observation