OBJECTIVE: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) surgical treatment with microvascular decompression is highly effective and safe, but for a percentage of patients who undergo this procedure, no vascular compression is found. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy with trigeminal root compression of the trigeminal nerve in patients with TN refractory to medical treatment who underwent neurosurgical management by a retrosigmoid approach of the cerebellopontine angle and were found to be negative for vascular compression. METHODS: A prospective collection of clinical data on all patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic TN was conducted at our institution. A total of 277 patients with TN were treated by a keyhole retrosigmoid approach for exploration of the cerebellopontine angle between January of 2000 and August of 2010. A total of 44 patients were found to be negative for vascular compression of the trigeminal nerve; all of these patients underwent trigeminal root compression. RESULTS: We found that all patients were pain free after the procedure. There was a 27% relapse in a mean time of 10 months, but 83% of these patients were adequately controlled by medical treatment, and only 17% needed a complementary procedure for pain relief. We also found that 63% of the patients complained of a partial loss of facial sensitivity, but only 1 patient presented with a corneal ulcer. There was a 6.7% rate of significant complications. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that trigeminal root compression is a safe and effective option for patients with primary TN without vascular compression.
OBJECTIVE:Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) surgical treatment with microvascular decompression is highly effective and safe, but for a percentage of patients who undergo this procedure, no vascular compression is found. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy with trigeminal root compression of the trigeminal nerve in patients with TN refractory to medical treatment who underwent neurosurgical management by a retrosigmoid approach of the cerebellopontine angle and were found to be negative for vascular compression. METHODS: A prospective collection of clinical data on all patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic TN was conducted at our institution. A total of 277 patients with TN were treated by a keyhole retrosigmoid approach for exploration of the cerebellopontine angle between January of 2000 and August of 2010. A total of 44 patients were found to be negative for vascular compression of the trigeminal nerve; all of these patients underwent trigeminal root compression. RESULTS: We found that all patients were pain free after the procedure. There was a 27% relapse in a mean time of 10 months, but 83% of these patients were adequately controlled by medical treatment, and only 17% needed a complementary procedure for pain relief. We also found that 63% of the patients complained of a partial loss of facial sensitivity, but only 1 patient presented with a corneal ulcer. There was a 6.7% rate of significant complications. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that trigeminal root compression is a safe and effective option for patients with primary TN without vascular compression.
Authors: Juan Carlos Moreira-Holguin; Rogelio Revuelta-Gutierrez; Alejandro Monroy-Sosa; Samuel Almeida-Navarro Journal: Int J Surg Case Rep Date: 2015-08-13
Authors: Rogelio Revuelta-Gutiérrez; Andres Humberto Morales-Martínez; Carolina Mejías-Soto; Jaime Jesús Martínez-Anda; Luis Alberto Ortega-Porcayo Journal: Surg Neurol Int Date: 2016-05-05