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Patient Success Stories
Relief From Severe Facial PainHow one local man overcame trigeminal neuralgia
Up in the hills again—Robin Miller, 58, is happy to be back mountain biking, an activity he couldn’t enjoy when he suffered the pain of trigeminal neuralgia. About 15,000 people a year are diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, also called tic douloureux. It occurs when the tiny trigeminal nerve at the base of the skull is irritated, usually by a nearby blood vessel. Even the lightest touch to the face can trigger the nerve to send bursts of pain. Internist Yehia Mishriki, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network diagnosed Miller in February 2003 and prescribed the first line of treatment, anti-seizure medication. That controlled the pain temporarily, but when higher doses were needed they affected Miller’s ability to concentrate and work. After consulting with Mishriki and his colleague, neurologist James Redenbaugh, M.D., Miller decided to look into surgery to relieve the pain permanently. He chose microvascular decompression, a procedure in which surgeons place tiny Teflon pads between the trigeminal nerve and the offending blood vessel. And after researching surgeons nationwide, he found the right one in his own hometown—Mark Li, M.D., a Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network neuro-surgeon who had excellent success with the surgery using only tiny incisions. “My procedure lasted just 90 minutes, and I went home the next day,” Miller says. “I was working part-time in two weeks, biking in six weeks and speaking at a conference in Europe in eight weeks. I’m a happy man. Every day without excruciating face pain is a gift.” Today, Miller would have yet another option close to home—the Gamma Knife®, a technology perfectly suited for the trigeminal nerve, says neurosurgeon Stefano Camici, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “The Gamma Knife does not have the complications of open surgery and is very accurate and consistent,” he says. 
Mapping the brain—The Gamma Knife’s sophisticated computer planning is in the hands of radiation physicists like John Niemkiewicz, Ph.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Treating the Brain Without SurgeryThe Gamma Knife is not really a knife, but the newest and most advanced form of stereotactic radiosurgery (a type of radiation therapy), says radiation oncologist Clinton Leinweber, D.O., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. It uses computer imaging to identify an exact point in the brain and then sends hundreds of precisely targeted beams of gamma radiation to that point. The equipment is controlled by three highly educated specialists—a radiation oncologist, neuro-surgeon and radiation physicist. “The Gamma Knife can treat tumors, blood vessel malformations and other abnormalities in even the most difficult-to-reach areas,” Leinweber says. “It is so precise that it delivers high-dose radiation without affecting nearby healthy areas, and it can correct some disorders that conventional surgery cannot. The patient has no incision, no pain and no surgical risks, and often can go home the same day.”
Need Help?
Call 610-402-CARE (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday) to talk to nurses and other experts who can help you find a neuroscience doctor and more. This page last updated 4/22/08 10:51 AM
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