Michael Schulder, Akash Mishra, Antonios Mammis, Andres Horn, Alexandre Boutet, Patric Blomstedt, Stephan Chabardes, Oliver Flouty, Andres M Lozano, Joseph S Neimat, Francisco Ponce, Philip A Starr, Joachim K Krauss, Marwan Hariz, Jin Woo Chang
{"title":"Advances in Technical Aspects of Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery.","authors":"Michael Schulder, Akash Mishra, Antonios Mammis, Andres Horn, Alexandre Boutet, Patric Blomstedt, Stephan Chabardes, Oliver Flouty, Andres M Lozano, Joseph S Neimat, Francisco Ponce, Philip A Starr, Joachim K Krauss, Marwan Hariz, Jin Woo Chang","doi":"10.1159/000529040","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000529040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Deep brain stimulation has become an established technology for the treatment of patients with a wide variety of conditions, including movement disorders, psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, and pain. Surgery for implantation of DBS devices has enhanced our understanding of human physiology, which in turn has led to advances in DBS technology. Our group has previously published on these advances, proposed future developments, and examined evolving indications for DBS.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>The crucial roles of structural MR imaging pre-, intra-, and post-DBS procedure in target visualization and confirmation of targeting are described, with discussion of new MR sequences and higher field strength MRI enabling direct visualization of brain targets. The incorporation of functional and connectivity imaging in procedural workup and their contribution to anatomical modelling is reviewed. Various tools for targeting and implanting electrodes, including frame-based, frameless, and robot-assisted, are surveyed, and their pros and cons are described. Updates on brain atlases and various software used for planning target coordinates and trajectories are presented. The pros and cons of asleep versus awake surgery are discussed. The role and value of microelectrode recording and local field potentials are described, as well as the role of intraoperative stimulation. Technical aspects of novel electrode designs and implantable pulse generators are presented and compared.</p>","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":"101 2","pages":"112-134"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10184879/pdf/nihms-1890135.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9469845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"ASSFN Society News","authors":"","doi":"10.1159/000528595","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000528595","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":"100 1","pages":"349 - 349"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41808551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martin Kilchukov, Roman Kiselev, Anton Gorbatykh, Asya Klinkova, Vladimir Murtazin, Oksana Kamenskaya, Kirill Orlov
{"title":"High-Frequency versus Low-Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation in Treatment of Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia: Short-Term Results of a Randomized Trial.","authors":"Martin Kilchukov, Roman Kiselev, Anton Gorbatykh, Asya Klinkova, Vladimir Murtazin, Oksana Kamenskaya, Kirill Orlov","doi":"10.1159/000527309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000527309","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The objective of the study is to determine if high-frequency (1 kHz) spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is better than low-frequency SCS for pain relief in chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>HEAL-SCS trial was designed as an open-label, parallel-group, single-center randomized study with a 1:1 allocation ratio. The trial was conducted in Meshalkin National Medical Research Center between August 2018 and February 2020. Total 56 patients underwent screening, 50 were enrolled, 6 were rejected. The participants were randomized into 2 cohorts of 25 patients each by an external coordinator using an online tool. A neurosurgeon and a vascular surgeon both examined all patients and estimated the pain intensity using visual analog scale (VAS), quality of life with short-form-36 health survey (SF-36), and functional status by walking impairment questionnaire (WIQ) at 3 and 12 months. Tissue perfusion was evaluated for 34 patients using transcutaneous oxygen tension measurement (TcPO2) at baseline and in 12 months.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All 50 patients (84% men, median age 66.5 y.o) were available for primary outcome assessment 3 and 12 months after implantation. Intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated comparative advantage of HF-SCS over LF-SCS at 3 months with mean VAS score 2.8 (95% CI, 2.4; 3.2) and 3.3 (95% CI, 3.0; 3.6), respectively (p = 0.031). Clinical superiority of HF-SCS persisted at 12-month follow-up (p < 0.001). HF-SCS produced significantly greater pain relief by WIQ at 3 (p < 0.001) and 12 months (p = 0.009). Despite stair-climbing ability was better in HF-SCS group (p = 0.02), no significant difference between groups was found at 1-year post-op in terms of speed (p = 0.92) and distance scores (p = 0.68). Accordingly, the general and mental health domains of SF-36 were significantly better in HF-SCS at 12 months. Despite a tendency toward better resting oxygen pressure in HF-SCS group, there was no intergroup difference by TcPO2 (p = 0.076). Only 1 patient (2%) required above-the-knee amputation at 10 months after LF-SCS implantation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>High-frequency SCS provides better pain relief, life quality, and functional performance in patients with CLTI during short-term follow-up. The lack of perfusion difference between high-frequency and conventional SCS requires further examination to the possible long-term advantages of the method.</p>","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":"101 1","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9420780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David Satzer, Shasha Wu, Julia Henry, Emily Doll, Naoum P Issa, Peter C Warnke
{"title":"Ambulatory Local Field Potential Recordings from the Thalamus in Epilepsy: A Feasibility Study.","authors":"David Satzer, Shasha Wu, Julia Henry, Emily Doll, Naoum P Issa, Peter C Warnke","doi":"10.1159/000529961","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000529961","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Stimulation of the thalamus is gaining favor in the treatment of medically refractory multifocal and generalized epilepsy. Implanted brain stimulators capable of recording ambulatory local field potentials (LFPs) have recently been introduced, but there is little information to guide their use in thalamic stimulation for epilepsy. This study sought to assess the feasibility of chronically recording ambulatory interictal LFP from the thalamus in patients with epilepsy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this pilot study, ambulatory LFP was recorded from patients who underwent sensing-enabled deep brain stimulation (DBS, 2 participants) or responsive neurostimulation (RNS, 3 participants) targeting the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT, 2 electrodes), centromedian nucleus (CM, 7 electrodes), or medial pulvinar (PuM, 1 electrode) for multifocal or generalized epilepsy. Time-domain and frequency-domain LFP was investigated for epileptiform discharges, spectral peaks, circadian variation, and peri-ictal patterns.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thalamic interictal discharges were visible on ambulatory recordings from both DBS and RNS. At-home interictal frequency-domain data could be extracted from both devices. Spectral peaks were noted at 10-15 Hz in CM, 6-11 Hz in ANT, and 19-24 Hz in PuM but varied in prominence and were not visible in all electrodes. In CM, 10-15 Hz power exhibited circadian variation and was attenuated by eye opening.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Chronic ambulatory recording of thalamic LFP is feasible. Common spectral peaks can be observed but vary between electrodes and across neural states. DBS and RNS devices provide a wealth of complementary data that have the potential to better inform thalamic stimulation for epilepsy.</p>","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":"101 3","pages":"195-206"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11227660/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10557416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vanessa Fleury, David Romascano, Damien Schneider, Constantin Tuleasca, Orane Lorton, Emilie Tomkova, Sabina Catalano Chiuve, Vasileios Chytas, Christian Lüscher, Pierre R Burkhard, Rares Salomir, Marc Levivier, Shahan Momjian
{"title":"Successful MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy after Ipsilateral Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Essential Tremor: A Case Report with Video.","authors":"Vanessa Fleury, David Romascano, Damien Schneider, Constantin Tuleasca, Orane Lorton, Emilie Tomkova, Sabina Catalano Chiuve, Vasileios Chytas, Christian Lüscher, Pierre R Burkhard, Rares Salomir, Marc Levivier, Shahan Momjian","doi":"10.1159/000534014","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000534014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We report the case of a 67-year-old left-handed female patient with disabling medically refractory essential tremor who underwent successful right-sided magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) of the ventral intermediate nucleus after ipsilateral gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) thalamotomy performed 3 years earlier. The GKRS had a partial effect on her postural tremor without side effects, but there was no reduction of her kinetic tremor or improvement in her quality of life (QoL). The patient subsequently underwent a MRgFUS thalamotomy, which induced an immediate and marked reduction in both the postural and kinetic tremor components, with minor complications (left upper lip hypesthesia, dysmetria in her left hand, and slight gait ataxia). The MRgFUS-induced lesion was centered more medially than the GKRS-induced lesion and extended more posteriorly and inferiorly. The MRgFUS-induced lesion interrupted remaining fibers of the dentatorubrothalamic tract (DRTT). The functional improvement 1-year post-MRgFUS was significant due to a marked reduction of the patient's kinetic tremor. The QoL score (Quality of Life in Essential Tremor) improved by 88% and her Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor left hand score by 62%. The side effects persisted but were minor, with no impact on her QoL. The explanation for the superior efficacy of MRgFUS compared to GKRS in our patient could be due to either a poor response to the GKRS or to a better localization of the MRgFUS lesion with a more extensive interruption of DRTT fibers. In conclusion, MRgFUS can be a valuable therapeutic option after unsatisfactory GKRS, especially because MRgFUS has immediate clinical effectiveness, allowing intra-procedural test lesions and possible readjustment of the target if necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":" ","pages":"380-386"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71427038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"ASSFN Society News","authors":"","doi":"10.1159/000533483","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000533483","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136217503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Henry M Skelton, David M Brandman, Katie Bullinger, Faical Isbaine, Robert E Gross
{"title":"Distinct Biomarkers of ANT Stimulation and Seizure Freedom in an Epilepsy Patient with Ambulatory Hippocampal Electrocorticography.","authors":"Henry M Skelton, David M Brandman, Katie Bullinger, Faical Isbaine, Robert E Gross","doi":"10.1159/000533680","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000533680","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT) and responsive neurostimulation (RNS) of the hippocampus are the predominant approaches to brain stimulation for treating mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Both are similarly effective at reducing seizures in drug-resistant patients, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In rare cases where it is clinically indicated to use RNS and DBS simultaneously, ambulatory electrophysiology from RNS may provide the opportunity to measure the effects of ANT DBS in the putative seizure onset zone and identify biomarkers associated with clinical improvement. Here, one such patient became seizure free, allowing us to identify and compare the changes in hippocampal electrophysiology associated with ANT stimulation and seizure freedom.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Ambulatory electrocorticography and clinical history were retrospectively analyzed for a patient treated with RNS and DBS for MTLE. DBS artifacts were used to identify ANT stimulation periods on RNS recordings and measure peri-stimulus electrographic changes. Clinical history was used to determine the chronic electrographic changes associated with seizure freedom.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ANT stimulation acutely suppressed hippocampal gamma (25-90Hz) power, with minimal theta (4-8Hz) suppression and without clear effects on seizure frequency. Eventually, the patient became seizure free alongside the emergence of chronic gamma increase and theta suppression, which started at the same time as clobazam was introduced. Both seizure freedom and the associated electrophysiology persisted after inadvertent DBS discontinuation, further implicating the clobazam relationship. Unexpectedly, RNS detections and long episodes increased, although they were not considered to be electrographic seizures, and the patient remained clinically seizure free.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ANT stimulation and seizure freedom were associated with distinct, dissimilar spectral changes in RNS-derived electrophysiology. The time course of these changes supported a new medication as the most likely cause of clinical improvement. Broadly, this work showcases the use of RNS recordings to interpret the effects of multimodal therapy. Specifically, it lends additional credence to hippocampal theta suppression as a biomarker previously associated with seizure reduction in RNS patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":" ","pages":"349-358"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41151410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David J Park, Neelan J Marianayagam, Ulas Yener, Armine Tayag, Louisa Ustrzynski, Sara C Emrich, Erqi Pollom, Scott Soltys, Antonio Meola, Steven D Chang
{"title":"Practical Guideline for Prevention of Patchy Hair Loss following CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Calvarial or Scalp Tumors: Retrospective Analysis of a Single Institution Experience.","authors":"David J Park, Neelan J Marianayagam, Ulas Yener, Armine Tayag, Louisa Ustrzynski, Sara C Emrich, Erqi Pollom, Scott Soltys, Antonio Meola, Steven D Chang","doi":"10.1159/000533555","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000533555","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Patchy alopecia is a common adverse effect of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) on the calvarium and/or scalp, yet no guidelines exist for its prevention. This study aims to investigate the incidence and outcomes of patchy alopecia following SRS for patients with calvarial or scalp lesions and establish preventive guidelines. Methods: The study included 20 patients who underwent CyberKnife SRS for calvarial or scalp lesions, resulting in a total of 30 treated lesions. SRS was administered as a single fraction for 8 lesions and hypofractionated for 22 lesions. The median SRS target volume was 9.85 cc (range: 0.81–110.7 cc), and the median prescription dose was 27 Gy (range: 16–40 Gy), delivered in 1–5 fractions (median: 3). The median follow-up was 15 months. Results: Among the 30 treated lesions, 11 led to patchy alopecia, while 19 did not. All cases of alopecia resolved within 12 months, and no patients experienced other adverse radiation effects. Lesions resulting in alopecia exhibited significantly higher biologically effective dose (BED) and single-fraction equivalent dose (SFED) on the overlying scalp compared to those without alopecia. Patients with BED and SFED exceeding 60 Gy and 20 Gy, respectively, were 9.3 times more likely to experience patchy alopecia than those with lower doses. The 1-year local tumor control rate for the treated lesions was 93.3%. Chemotherapy was administered for 26 lesions, with 11 lesions receiving radiosensitizing agents. However, no statistically significant difference was found. Conclusion: In summary, SRS is a safe and effective treatment for patients with calvarial/scalp masses regarding patchy alopecia near the treated area. Limiting the BED under 60 Gy and SFED under 20 Gy for the overlying scalp can help prevent patchy alopecia during SRS treatment of the calvarial/scalp mass. Clinicians can use this information to inform patients about the risk of alopecia and the contributing factors.","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":" ","pages":"319-325"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10214261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kelsey L Bower, Angela M Noecker, Martin M Reich, Cameron C McIntyre
{"title":"Quantifying the Variability Associated with Postoperative Localization of Deep Brain Stimulation Electrodes.","authors":"Kelsey L Bower, Angela M Noecker, Martin M Reich, Cameron C McIntyre","doi":"10.1159/000530462","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000530462","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Computational models of deep brain stimulation (DBS) have become common tools in clinical research studies that attempt to establish correlations between stimulation locations in the brain and behavioral outcome measures. However, the accuracy of any patient-specific DBS model depends heavily upon accurate localization of the DBS electrodes within the anatomy, which is typically defined via co-registration of clinical CT and MRI datasets. Several different approaches exist for this challenging registration problem, and each approach will result in a slightly different electrode localization. The goal of this study was to better understand how different processing steps (e.g., cost-function masking, brain extraction, intensity remapping) affect the estimate of the DBS electrode location in the brain.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>No \"gold standard\" exists for this kind of analysis, as the exact location of the electrode in the living human brain cannot be determined with existing clinical imaging approaches. However, we can estimate the uncertainty associated with the electrode position, which can be used to guide statistical analyses in DBS mapping studies. Therefore, we used high-quality clinical datasets from 10 subthalamic DBS subjects and co-registered their long-term postoperative CT with their preoperative surgical targeting MRI using 9 different approaches. The distances separating all of the electrode location estimates were calculated for each subject.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>On average, electrodes were located within a median distance of 0.57 mm (0.49-0.74) of one another across the different registration approaches. However, when considering electrode location estimates from short-term postoperative CTs, the median distance increased to 2.01 mm (1.55-2.78).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results of this study suggest that electrode location uncertainty needs to be factored into statistical analyses that attempt to define correlations between stimulation locations and clinical outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":"101 4","pages":"277-284"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10833063/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10204831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for SUNCT: A Case Series.","authors":"Andrea Franzini, Davide Milani, Luca Attuati, Pierina Navarria, Federico Pessina, Piero Picozzi","doi":"10.1159/000528632","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000528632","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The treatment of medically refractory patients with chronic short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) is challenging. Stereotactic radiosurgery targeting the trigeminal nerve and sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) has been used as a less-invasive treatment. The outcomes of this procedure have been described in a few case reports.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The objective of the study was to report on the effect of Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in 5 patients with chronic SUNCT.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Retrospective review of our GKRS database identified 5 patients with chronic SUNCT who underwent GKRS targeted to the trigeminal nerve and SPG. A maximum dose of 80-85 Gy and 80 Gy was, respectively, delivered to the trigeminal nerve and SPG. Pain intensity and facial numbness were evaluated using the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) scores.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>These 5 patients were clinically followed for a mean period of 26.2 months. Within a period ranging from 2 days to 9 months, GKRS was successful in reducing pain attacks and autonomic symptoms in all 5 patients. At the last assessments, BNI pain scores of I, II, and IIIa were achieved in 1, 1, and 3 patients, respectively. Two patients developed nonbothersome facial numbness (BNI facial numbness score II).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These 5 cases show that GKRS targeted to both the trigeminal nerve and the SPG is effective in reducing pain and autonomic symptoms of patients with SUNCT, although nonbothersome trigeminal sensory disturbances may occur.</p>","PeriodicalId":22078,"journal":{"name":"Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery","volume":"101 2","pages":"86-92"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9267141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}