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The Efficacy and Safety of Pulsed Radiofrequency Combined With Platelet-rich Plasma for the Trigeminal Neuralgia

The Efficacy and Safety of Pulsed Radiofrequency(PRF) Combined With Platelet-rich Plasma Versus PRF Alone for the Trigeminal Neuralgia

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06472323
Enrollment
270
Registered
2024-06-25
Start date
2024-08-01
Completion date
2026-09-30
Last updated
2025-04-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

PRP, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Idiopathic

Brief summary

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), characterized by brief, recurrent paroxysms of lancinating pain in the distribution of 1 or more branches of the trigeminal nerve (fifth cranial nerve \[CNV\]), is one of the most common, severe forms of neuropathic pain. Current standard of care for TN is the sodium channel blockers such as carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine. Surgical treatments involve percutaneous procedures, stereotactic radiosurgery and open surgical treatment. Each of these treatments have drawback. In recent years, pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) has been shown to be a promising treatment option for TN. But it was reported that the long-term outcomes of PRF was not satisfactory. Thus, there is an overwhelming need for finding a safe, nondestructive treatment option that is more effective for TN. PRP releases a variety of bioactive factors and adhesion proteins, which are responsible for activating hemostatic cascade reaction, synthesizing new connective tissue and vascular reconstruction, to initiate tissue repair processes. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is the processed liquid fraction of autologous peripheral blood with a platelet concentration above the baseline. Studies have shown that it can reduce inflammation and promote nerve repair so it has also shown broad prospects in treating neuropathic pain. In 2012, Doss AX. published a case report indicated that PRP might be effective in TN treatment. In 2023, a randomized controlled study showed that CT-guided PRF combined with PRP can effectively treat postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and the therapeutic effect is better than that of traditional PRF combined with glucocorticoid therapy in patients with PHN, which is similar to TN in pathology. Thus, we suppose that PRF combined with PRP might show better effectiveness than PRF alone for TN and conducted a prospective trail comparing the clinical efficacy and safety of PRP combined with PRF versus PRF alone. This study is designed as a prospective cohort study, open-label study with a 12 months follow-up period, to compare the efficacy of PRF combined with PRP versus PRP alone for TN treatment.

Interventions

PROCEDUREPRF+PRP, PRF

Under CT guidance, the trocar then was inserted through the ipsilateral foramen ovale to the Gasserian ganglion of the patient. After puncturing the foramen ovalis, remove the cannula needle core and connected with RF electrode (PMK-21-100, Baylis, Canada) and the RF generator. Electrical stimulation was carried out at 50 Hz to determine the sensory threshold and at 2 Hz to determine the motor threshold. The RF generator was set to the manual PRF mode with a standard setting of 42°C, the UP knob was turned to increase the output voltage until the maximum voltage (bearable without causing pain in conscious patients)was reached; 120 s, 2 times. After removing the RF electrode in the combined treatment group, 2ml of LP-PRP mixture was injected slowly into the Gasserian ganglion and mandibular nerve and PRF group only receive PRF treatment.

Sponsors

Beijing Tiantan Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. The diagnosis of TN was established according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3) criteria (1). 2. Aged 18 to 75 years. 3. Had a score of at least 4 on a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) (NRS; range, 0-10; higher scores indicate more severe pain) and could't be alleviated effectively by means of conservative medical therapy, such as carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine. 4. Agreed to sign the informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria

1. Patients presenting classic TN or secondary TN (i.e., multiple sclerosis). 2. Infection at the site of needle entry or systemic infecting. 3. A history of psychiatric disease. 4. Disorder indicated in the results of routine blood tests, hepatic function, renal function, coagulation function, electrocardiogram, or chest x-ray. 5. Serious systemic diseases such as uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes, and cardiac dysfunction (New York Heart Association grade II-III). 6. A history of abuse of narcotics. 7. A history of receiving CRF to the Gasserian ganglion or peripheral branches, glycerol rhizolysis, balloon compression, Gamma knife, or any other neuroablative treatments. 8. A history of receiving microvascular decompression. 9. Use of anticoagulants or antiplatelet agent, eg. acetylsalicylic acid.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
The response rate of treatmentAfter 12 monthsPatients with BNI scores of I to III were considered to respond to treatment (Table 2).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
BNI scoresday 1; after 1 and 2 weeks; and after 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months following the procedureI No pain, off medications II Occasional pain, off medications IIIa No pain, continued use of medications IIIb Pain persists, but adequately controlled with medications IV Pain not adequately controlled with medications V No relief
The response rate of treatment1day, 1 and 2 weeks, 1, 2, 3, and 6 months following the procedureThe response rate of treatment
Anticonvulsant consumptionAfter 1 day, 1 and 2 weeks, and after 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months following the procedureDose of carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine
Scores on the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF)After 1, 3, 6, and 12 months following the procedureScores on the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF)

Countries

China

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026