HKUMed, QMH’s nerve treatment to end chronic orofacial pain

Percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) is an intravenous treatment option.

The LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) and Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) have introduced percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) as an intravenous treatment option for patients suffering from chronic orofacial pain.

The PBC procedure involves inserting a tiny balloon through the cheek into the trigeminal ganglion near the base of the skull, and inflating it with contrast medium to gently compress the nerve’s pain fibres, HKUMed said.

A balloon-shaped appearance in one’s face and fluoroscopy imaging confirms the proper placement of the procedure, it added.

“Thanks to the introduction of PBC, patients who are unable or unwilling to undergo more invasive surgeries now have a promising alternative for pain management,” said Dr. Stanley Wong Sau-ching, clinical associate professor in the Department of Anaesthesiology, school of clinical medicine, HKUMed, in a statement.

Dr. Wong Sau-ching added that traditional pain management methods for orofacial pain often involve neuropathic pain medications, but some patients experience inadequate relief and side effects with varied success rates.

Traditional technique uses radiofrequency ablation (RFA), said Dr. Timmy Chan Chi-wing, consultant in the department of anaesthesia, pain and perioperative medicine at QMH.

HKUMed and QMH said that international data and local experience confirmed that PBC achieves an initial pain relief rating of over 80%, comparable to that of RFA.

Over 70% of patients remain pain-free after 10 years, making PBC a reliable choice for sustained relief, they added.