Microvascular Decompression for Trigeminal Neuralgia: Experience of a Tertiary Care Center in India and a Brief Review of Literature

Revisiting the Efficacy of Redo Microvascular Decompression for Trigeminal Neuralgia

BACKGROUND

Microvascular decompression (MVD) is an effective nondestructive neurosurgical procedure for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). However, some patients may undergo surgery failure or experience pain recurrence, sparking debates on the need for reoperation.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 103 cases of patients with primary TN who underwent redo MVD at our center between January 2020 and December 2022. Comparative prognostic assessments were performed by comparing these cases against a cohort of 348 patients who underwent primary MVD during the same study period.

RESULTS

During the redo MVD cases, arachnoid membranes adhesions (80.6%) and Teflon adhesions with/without granuloma (86.4%) as well as remaining vascular compression (36.9%) were observed. After the reoperation, an immediate relief rate of 94.2% was observed. During a mean follow-up period of 17.4 ± 4.4 months, a long-term relief rate of 89.3% was achieved. Postoperative complications included 3 cases of persistent paresthesia, 1 case each of hearing loss, cerebrospinal fluid leak, and facial palsy. Ten cases without evident compression received nerve combing and all experienced immediate complete relief, with only 1 patient experiencing recurrence 9 months after surgery. Compared to the primary MVD group, the reoperation group had a higher average age, longer disease duration, and operating time (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in immediate relief rate, long-term relief rate, or complications between the 2 groups. The main cause of persistent symptom was inadequate decompression, such as missing the offending vessel; while the recurrent was primarily due to Teflon adhesion or granuloma formation.

CONCLUSIONS

The redo MVD for TN is equally efficacious and safe compared to the primary procedure, with an emphasis on meticulous dissection and thorough decompression. Additionally, nerve combing proves to be an effective supplementary option for patients without obvious compression.

When the nerve keeps firing: an institutional experience and systematic review on delayed response after microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of delayed response following microvascular decompression (MVD) in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and identify potential contributing factors. Additionally, we present two cases with delayed relief observed at our institution.

METHOD

Two TN patients with delayed response and clear intra-operative arterial findings are presented in this study. Furthermore, we conducted a systematic review by searching electronic bibliographic databases, including MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase, from inception to 2022.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 28 full-text articles involving 322 TN patients who experienced delayed pain relief. Out of these, only 11 studies provided sufficient evidence and were included in the final analysis. Among the patients, 73.46% were female. The mean incidence rate of delayed response after MVD treatment for TN was 10.5%, with a range of 0.95 to 57.14% across different studies. The mean age of these patients was 59.86 years. The reported time to pain relief in the existing reports was at least 4 days post-surgery. In 72.88% of the reported cases, right-side dominance was observed. The majority of delayed cases experienced pain relief within 3 months, with a median time of 1 month.

CONCLUSIONS

A thorough examination of the probability of delayed pain relief after MVD for TN and understanding the characteristics of this phenomenon can offer surgeons valuable post-operative guidance and aid in decision-making regarding potential immediate reoperation.

Contact-free transposition and interposition techniques for trigeminal neuralgia: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Surgical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia (TGN), by means of interposition of material between nerve and offending vessel, has been shown to be highly efficient. In recent years, treatment by means of vessel transposition has become more frequent, as in singular cases of recurrence, nerval reactions towards interposed material have been noted. In this review we research the classic microvascular decompression (MVD) techniques (interposition) as well as the more recent transposition and their effectiveness, considering patient outcomes as well as complications and recurrences.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

We searched online databases MEDLINE and LIVIVO, using key words trigeminal neuralgia AND transposition/ AND sling/ AND non compressive technique/ AND microvascular decompression.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

We included 8 studies for transposition and 20 studies for the interposition, combining for 2045 patients (302 for transposition and 1743 for interposition). 96.1% of patients in the transposition and 93.1% in the interposition group reported a positive outcome immediately postoperatively. At follow-up, 87.4% in the transposition group (follow-up 51.2 months) and 87.9% of patients in the interposition group (follow-up 36.5 months), reported a positive outcome. 16.2% of patients in the transposition and 13.1% in the interposition group had postoperative complications. Recurrence was reported in 5.6% of patients treated with transposition and 2.3% of patients treated with interposition.

CONCLUSIONS

Transposition presents similar results concerning short- and long-term patient satisfaction for treatment of TGN as well as similar numbers of complications of recurrences as interposition. Yet, current evidence is restricted to a few retrospective studies, thus, evidence is limited so far.

Treatment of redo-microvascular decompression or internal neurolysis plus microvascular decompression for recurrent trigeminal neuralgia: a review of long-term effectiveness and safety

Objective

We examined the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with recurrent trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and assessed the long-term efficacy and safety of microvascular decompression (MVD) to treat typical recurrent TN.

Methods

We identified 3024 patients who underwent MVD for treatment of TN at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital from March 2009 to December 2020. We retrospectively analyzed the data and outcomes of 137 patients who underwent redo-MVD and 74 patients who did not undergo redo-MVD as the control group. These outcomes were evaluated using the Barrow Neurological Institute scoring system.

Results

Recurrence in 68 of the 137 patients was due to incomplete or absent decompression or new responsible vessels. To ensure thorough pain relief, redo-MVD should include decompression of both the trigeminal root entry zone and the peripheral nerve segments, where blood vessels can cause symptoms. Factors associated with reduced effectiveness of redo-MVD were no period of initial pain relief after the first MVD and a longer duration of symptoms before the first MVD.

Conclusions

Redo-MVD should not be excluded as a treatment option for patients with refractory TN who develop recurrent pain after a first MVD procedure.