Skirving, Dan; Journal of Neurosurgery 94:913-197, 2001

Conclusion:  The authors conclude that balloon compression has the following advantages:

1. Brief general anesthesia causes no discomfort to the patient.

2. The surgical technique is simple to perform.

3. The surgical technique does not require special equipment.

4. The surgery itself is quickly performed.

Comment:  This 2001 Australian article reviews the results of 531 procedures performed from 1980 through 1999 in patients who had complications or ineffective medical therapy.  Of the successful attempts, all but one had immediate pain relief.  Within 5 years 19.2% of the patients had recurrence of pain and 31.9% of all the patients had recurrences within the entire study period, which had a mean length of the follow-up of almost 11 years.  Said another way, 2 of every 10 had recurrence within 5 years, and 3 of every 10 within 11 years.  89% of all the patients had resultant facial numbness but only 4.6% persisted for longer than 3 months. 

The procedure is often accompanied by a low heart rate when the trigeminal ganglion is encountered.  While generally seen as a disadvantage, the authors use it as an indicator of having achieved the correct anatomical area.