Introduction/Objective:Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is an extremely painful condition
without an established treatment other than symptom-suppressive medications or temporary relief
from corticosteroid injections. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have demonstrated the ability to
enhance healing and reduce inflammation and pain without side effects. Our objective was to evaluate
the safety and efficacy of CT-guided foramen ovale MSC injection in the treatment of TN.Methods:A 48-year-old woman presented with a 22-year history of severe TN. Previous treatments,
including microvascular decompression, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment, and hypnotism
had failed. Medications decreased pain, but produced severe bothersome mental clouding. After
proper informed consent, the patient elected trigeminal nerve injection in the foramen ovale
with AlloRx (vitrobiopharma.com Golden Colorado) umbilical cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem
Cells (MSCs). An experienced pain specialist with previous experience using CT guidance with
sedation to inject the trigeminal nerve in the foramen ovale with corticosteroids performed the injection
using 20 million MSCs. The patient reported no adverse events or complications related to
the treatment.Results:At 1 month post-treatment, the patient reported dramatically reduced pain/tingling, and
no longer needed medication, which resulted in the resolution of her mental clouding. At 12
months post-treatment, some symptoms recurred, but the patient maintained substantial cognitive
improvements and required a reduced dose of medication.Conclusion:We have demonstrated, for the first time, CT-guided MSC injection into the foramen
ovale to result in significant improvement in trigeminal neuralgia without side effects.