A correlative analysis between inflammatory cytokines and trigeminal neuralgia or hemifacial spasm

ABSTRACTBackground: It is necessary to understand the mechanism of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and hemifacial spasm (HFS) in order to seek for an effective noninvasive remedy. As previous studies implied that inflammatory cytokines induced by demyelination following the nerve injury may be the initiated factor causing neuropathic pain, we attempt to analyze the correlation between cytokines and these hyperactive cranial nerve disorders.Method: The consecutive patients whose diagnosis were confirmed by microvascular decompression surgery as primary TN or HFS caused by vascular compression and healthy volunteers between March and May 2018 in XinHua Hospital Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine were recruited. Preoperatively, venous blood was collected and the protein concentrations of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ were determined with ELISA. Each cytokine was compared between the patients and healthy volunteers.Results: Ultimately, 28 healthy volunteers as well as 44 TN and 47 HFS...