Application of low-level laser therapy in trigeminal neuralgia: a clinical case

Abstract

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is considered one of the most severe and most common facial pain. TN is characterized by a pain similar to an electric shock or sharp pain, restricted to one or more branches of the trigeminal nerve. TN can develop from idiopathic causes, and/or may be related to other conditions such as neoplasms, multiple sclerosis, nerve impairments. The most used TN treatments are drug or surgical therapies. However, both can cause side effects. A potential alternative or complementary TN treatment is low-level laser therapy (LLLT), which is known to control different types of pain. LLLT use in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia as an adjunct to drug therapy has shown considerably positive results in previous studies. Our work evaluated the results achieved in the drug treatment associated with LLLT at red (660 nm) and infrared (808 nm) wavelengths based on a clinical case report of a TN patient. The Recover® and Vacumlaser® (MMOptics, São Carlos, SP, Brazil) devices were used, with applications in the region of the trigeminal nerve branches, three times a week, according to the protocol developed by researchers at the Physics Institute of São Carlos (IFSC-USP). The treatment outcome was assessed at every session regarding the patient’s progression. The clinical outcome observed was outstanding, resulting in a reduction of between 50-100% of the dosage of every medicine prescribed. We hypothesize that such result occurred due to photobiomodulation effects providing neuroprotection through anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant pathways, which can promote the metabolic homeostasis necessary for the reestablishment of tissue function.