What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of IV fosphenytoin for treating acute exacerbations of trigeminal neuralgia.

May 9, 2026Neurology1 citationsOpen Access

IV Fosphenytoin for Acute Trigeminal Neuralgia

SNShusaku NoroNakamura Memorial Hospital THToru HatayamaNational Hospital Organization Mito Medical Center YIYoshiyasu IwaiTominaga hospital

Key Points

The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of IV fosphenytoin for treating acute exacerbations of trigeminal neuralgia.
Conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing IV fosphenytoin therapy (IFT) to a placebo.
Evaluated the impact of IFT on acute trigeminal neuralgia pain severity.
IV fosphenytoin significantly reduced the severity of acute trigeminal neuralgia pain compared to placebo.
Detailed numerical outcomes were not provided in the abstract for specific effect sizes or p-values.

Abstract

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a debilitating condition characterized by sudden, severe facial pain. IV medications for acute TN exacerbations have not been investigated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Oral medications are often insufficient for acute attacks, and surgery is not immediately available. We conducted an RCT to evaluate IV fosphenytoin therapy (IFT) as a rapid-acting rescue treatment for acute TN exacerbations. We hypothesized that, compared with placebo, IFT would reduce acute TN pain.

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