Joseph K. Vaughan, Jr., M.D.
Fort Worth, TX
903-714-9044
Transcript: When to see a neurosurgeon
In my practice, I have a very big interest in facial pain and other pain syndromes in particular. Thus I often see patients who have seen other physicians in the past to have their facial pain syndrome treated. This may mean that they’ve been on other medications in the past.
I will often employ medicines at higher doses and unusual perhaps combinations of medications in order to treat their pain. If I’m unable to alleviate the pain to where the patient is happy by using two or three drugs perhaps reusing previous drugs at higher doses then I will refer the patient on to a neurosurgeon. If the patient has had surgical therapies in the past and I’m employing medications then I will often refer them earlier as there are newer surgical modalities to treat this problem that patients can often avail themselves of.