[Treatment concept of facial pain]

The therapy of chronic facial pain still poses an important challenge. A therapeutical scheme in four steps has been developed. This scheme enables modification of the pain therapy depending on localisation, intensity and former treatment. It consists of the following steps: 1. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 2. Medication 3. Extracranial glycerol blocking of the trigeminal nerve 4. Neurosurgical treatment with thermocoagulation, chemical glycerol-rhizotomy and microsurgical decompression. The different therapeutical steps have no influence on each other.