Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41291123›Full record

ArticleLasers in medical science2025

Efficacy of photobiomodulation therapy in managing iatrogenic trigeminal nerve injury: A retrospective case series.

Farnoush Tousi, Hanna Kristine Spissøy, Hanne Molvik Larsen, Annika Rosén, Stein Atle Lie, Lado Lako Loro

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Article in Lasers in medical science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Farnoush TousiUniversity of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-5217-7152
Hanna Kristine SpissøyUniversity of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Hanne Molvik LarsenUniversity of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Annika RosénUniversity of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. Annika.Rosen@uib.no.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0546-9089
Stein Atle LieUniversity of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4374-9276
Lado Lako LoroUniversity of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6405-4417

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPost-traumatic trigeminal neuropathy (PTTN) can significantly affect quality of life (QoL) due to pain and sensory disturbances. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy in patients with long-standing neurosensory disturbances associated with PTTN, using a protocol implemented at our department.

methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 76 cases treated between 2007 and 2018. All had neurosensory symptoms lasting more than 3 months. Data were collected from the clinical records, a structured questionnaire, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores. PBM therapy was administered using a GaAlAs diode laser. Patients were stratified based on time from injury to treatment (< 12 months vs. > 12 months).

resultsFollowing PBM therapy, 59% of patients reported subjective improvement (30% extensive, 29% slight), while 38% reported no change and 2.6% noted slight deterioration. No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups that responded to PBM therapy and those that did not. Similarly, treatment outcomes showed no significant association with gender, etiology, affected nerve, time to treatment, or number of sessions.

conclusionsThe current study did not demonstrate a statistically significant effect of PBM therapy in patients with neurosensory disturbances associated with PTTN under the applied treatment protocol. Due to the retrospective design, the absence of a control group, and the heterogeneity in patients, etiology, nerve injury types, and timing of treatment, we hypothesize that variables such as laser dosage, session intervals, and application technique may have influenced the lack of observed therapeutic benefit. Subjective improvements must be interpreted cautiously due to potential placebo effects and spontaneous nerve recovery. These findings underscore the need for standardized PBM protocols and well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to validate treatment efficacy in trigeminal nerve injuries.

Indexed as

Lasers, SemiconductorLow-Level Light TherapyTrigeminal Nerve InjuriesAdultAgedFemaleHumansIatrogenic DiseaseMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultParesthesiaPhotobiomodulation therapyRetrospective case seriesSensory disordersTrigeminal nerve injuries

Identifiers

PMID41291123
PMCPMC12647270

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.