Trigeminal neuralgia is most commonly caused by compression of the trigeminal nerve by the superior cerebellar artery. It causes paroxysmal, sharp, electric shock-like pains in the face that are triggered by innocuous stimuli. First line treatment is carbamazepine. Microvascular decompression surgery directly addresses the compressive etiology and has the highest success rate, but radiofrequency ablation and gamma knife radiosurgery are alternatives for older or less healthy patients.