[Neurosurgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (author's transl)]

Follow-up studies of 210 cases treated by electrocoagulation and of 146 cases treated by temporal subtotal resection of the posterior root (Frazier) and descriptions of a further 1946 cases in a cooperative study in which different surgical treatments were applied are used as a basis for discussion advantages and disadvantages of the different surgical methods. Selective elimination of pain fibers with protection of tactile sensibility seems the most desirable objective. With this in mind, the new percutaneous method developed by Sweet receives particular attention.