In an article published in the August 2015 issue of WORLD NEUROSURGERY, Tenser argues that the occasional reactivation of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) after surgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia provides insights into the mechanism for efficacy of these operations. Specifically, he argues that because HSV reactivation has been observed in ablative treatments (radiofrequency lesions, glycerol...

We present a case of trigeminal neuralgia with cranial normal magnetic resonance image (MRI) and computed tomography. The pain was not relieved by carbamazepine and microvascular decompression surgery was done. After two months the pain was similar to the condition before surgery. At this time, MRI showed an expansive lesion in Meckel's cave that was treated with radical resection by extra-dura...

Basilar artery ectasia may be associated with trigeminal neuralgia as a consequence of trigeminal nerve compression by the aberrant artery. The case histories are presented of four patients, investigation of whom demonstrated the presence of an ectatic basilar artery thought to be the cause of facial pain. The value of intravenous digital subtraction angiography in the investigation of this con...

To our knowledge, only one prior case of trismus due to vascular compression has been reported. This was caused by vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia associated with multiple cranial neuropathies and was not treated surgical1y.t We report a case of unilateral trismus associated with typical trigeminal neuralgia, refractory to medical therapy, alleviated by microvascular decompression. The relevant ...

BACKGROUND Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a movement disorder characterized by intermittent, involuntary clonic or tonic-clonic contractions of muscles innervated by the ipsilateral facial nerve. Recent studies have documented change in quality of life after HFS management with botulinum toxin injection. However, we failed to locate any study that documented change in quality of life after surgical ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Neurovascular contact (NVC) of the trigeminal nerve is not only detected at the affected trigeminal nerve in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) but is also observed at the asymptomatic nerves on the side contralateral to the TN as well as in normal nerves in control subjects. The frequency and severity of the NVC among the affected, contralateral, and normal trigemin...

OBJECTIVE Microvascular decompression (MVD) for hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a safe and effective treatment with favorable outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of delayed cranirve ( VI, VII, and VIII ) palsy following MVD and its clinical courses. METHODS Between January 1998 and December 2009, 1354 patients underwent MVD for HFS at our institution. Of them, 100 pati...

Seven males and nine females with glossopharyngeal neuralgia were treated by microvascular decompression (MVD) over a 4-year period. Their ages ranged from 40 to 72 years (average, 54.7 years). The duration of pain ranged from 2 months to 13 years, and all except one patient had brief attacks of lancinating pain in the throat and/or ear. One patient reported dull, paroxysmal throat pain. At sur...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To report two patients with a history of microvascular decompression (MVD) for hemifacial spasm who presented with Teflon granulomas (TG) mimicking cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors and to perform a systematic review of the English-language literature. STUDY DESIGN Case series at a single tertiary academic referral center and systematic review. METHODS Retrospective ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In 1998, 8 patients with severe, intractable arterial hypertension and MR tomography-demonstrated neurovascular contact of a looping artery at the root entry zone of cranial nerves IX and X, causing neurovascular compression, underwent neurosurgical decompression. The short-term results showed a normalization of blood pressure with a markedly reduced antihypertensive drug...