Prospective Evaluation of Nasopharyngeal Intubation During Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation of the Trigeminal Ganglion

Aims: To investigate whether nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) intubation could reduce the risk of complications caused by radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) of the trigeminal ganglion. Methods: From November 1, 2014 to May 1, 2015, 200 patients treated with sedation (combination of sufentanil and propofol) were randomly divided into two groups, one in which NPA intubation was used (intervention group) and one in which it was not used (control group). The primary outcome was the frequency of hypoxemia, and secondary outcomes were the frequency of hypotension, nasal mucosa damage, corneal numbness, masticatory weakness, palsies of other cranial nerves, and intracranial hemorrhage. Statistical analyses were performed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 19.0. A P value .05 was considered to reflect statistical significance. Differences in the frequencies of adverse events between the two groups were assessed by using Fisher exact test. Results: Five patients in the intervention group showed minor nasal mucosa injury (P = .027). Hypoxemia (19 vs 3, P .001), corneal numbness (12 vs 4), and masticatory weakness (11 vs 3) occurred more frequently in the control group than in the intervention group (P .05). No significant differences in the incidence of hypotension or palsies of other cranial nerves were observed between the two groups (P > .05). Conclusion: NPA intubation can reduce the frequency of hypoxemia and complications related to the thermocoagulation of the trigeminal ganglion with minor risks for nasopharyngeal injury. Keywords: airway, hypoxemia, radiofrequency thermocoagulation, trigeminal neuralgia