rTMS in treatment of neuropathic facial pain – a prospective study of 20 patients

Introduction: Atypical facial pain as a kind of neuropathic disorders could occur after traumatic lesions and remains difficult to treat. One option for management of intractable pain is stimulation of the motor cortex by implantation of an epidural electrode. This effect of invasive stimulation could be replaced by transcranial magnetic stimulation. Objectives: The objective of the study was to observe the pain reducing effect of non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients suffering from facial pain, and furthermore to detect whether there is a predictable value for invasive motor cortex s…