Trigeminal neuralgia and multiple sclerosis.

In a series of patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) who were treated with radiofrequency electrocoagulation of the gasserian ganglion and retrogasserian rootlets, either alone or with glycerol, 16 patients with TN and multiple sclerosis (TNMS) are compared with 219 patients with TN without MS. Patients with TNMS were younger and more likely to have bilateral facial pain than those with TN alone. Probability of ipsilateral recurrence was calculated on the basis of Kaplan and Meier product-limit estimates and showed no significant differences in the two groups.