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CARDIOVASCULAR ANESTHESIA

Percutaneous Radiofrequency Trigeminal Rhizotomy in a Patient with an Implanted Cardiac Pacemaker

Deidre A. Sun, FANZCA^*, Lynn Martin, FRCPC^*, and Christopher R. Honey, MD, DPhil, FRCS(C)

*Department of Anaesthesia and Division of Neurosurgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver General Hospital, Canada

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Lynn Martin, FRCPC, Department of Anesthesia, Vancouver General Hospital, Rm 2449, 910 West 10th Ave., Vancouver V5Z 4E3, BC Canada. Address e-mail to lmartin{at}vanhosp.bc.ca

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation is a frequently used treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. Radiofrequency is another potential source of electromagnetic interference to implanted cardiac pacemakers. Our patient had a permanent pacemaker and underwent the procedure without incident.

IMPLICATIONS: This case reports a patient with an implanted cardiac pacemaker who underwent an uneventful percutaneous radiofrequency trigeminal rhizotomy in which the radiofrequency was a source of electromagnetic interference, potentially disruptive to the cardiac pacemaker.

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