New specialized medical and surgical treatment programs
Mercy Medical Center is pleased to announce the new Trigeminal Neuralgia Care Center, specializing in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, and other cranial nerve disorders. The Trigeminal Neuralgia Care Center at Mercy Medical Center is one of very few programs in the nation offering comprehensive treatment options for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and other cranial nerve conditions. Treatment options include medication and surgery.
Kamal K. Kalia, M.D., has been appointed medical director of the Care Center. Dr. Kalia is board-certified in neurosurgery and has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and other cranial nerve disorders. Dr. Kalia chose to focus his practice on this area following his residency at the University of Pittsburgh, where he trained under Peter J. Jannetta, M.D., the world-renowned expert on trigeminal neuralgia.
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is an extremely painful affliction characterized by episodes of intense, stabbing, electrical shock-like pain usually affecting one side of the face. Something as simple and routine as brushing teeth, eating, talking, putting on makeup or even a slight breeze can trigger an attack. It is considered one of the most painful afflictions known to medicine.
While many people with TN achieve adequate pain control on medication, others eventually stop responding to medications or experience side effects. Surgery may be an excellent option for these people and Mercy Medical Center offers several surgical procedures to effectively treat trigeminal neuralgia.
Hemifacial spasm is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by frequent involuntary muscle contractions on one side of the face. It usually affects the muscles of the eye first, causing some twitching, and then progresses to force closure of the eye and a pulling of the mouth to one side of the face. Very commonly, hemifacial spasm is caused by a blood vessel pressing on the facial nerve at the brainstem.
