Recurrent trigeminal neuralgia after microvascular decompression using an interposing technique. Teflon felt adhesion and the sling retraction technique.

The causes of recurrence after microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia and the results of re-operations were studied in 6 cases. Eighty-two patients with trigeminal neuralgia were operated on through microvascular decompression using the technique of interposing Teflon felt between the offending artery and the pons and/or nerve. Recurrence occurred in 14 cases (17.1%) and re-operations were carried out in 6 severe cases at which time the sling retraction technique was used. At the second operation, the adhesion of the interposed Teflon felt was found at the trigeminal nerve in all cases and the adhesions were the main cause of recurrence. The Teflon felt was dissected from the nerve, and the sling of the Teflon felt adhering to the offending arteries was fixed to the tentorium in order to transpose the arteries and avoid re-adhesion. All cases resulted in an excellent relief from pain and experienced no pain for at least 2 years. The intra-operative findings of our cases indicated that the microvascular decompression using the interposing technique may result in adhesion of the prosthesis to the nerve and thus eventually lead to recurrence. Our surgical experience also suggests that such recurrent cases should be re-operated on using the sling retraction technique instead of the interposing technique, even for the first microvascular decompression procedure.