Trigeminal root massage in microsurgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia patients without arterial compression: When, how and why.

Background: During the microsurgical exploration of trigeminal root in the pontocerebellar angle in patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia (TN) without an evident arterial compression, the surgeon is in an engaged situation because there are not well-established surgical strategies. The aim of this study is to describe in these cases the surgical maneuver we call "trigeminal root massage" (TRM).

Methods: 52 consecutive patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia who had undergone a microsurgical suboccipital retrosigmoid exploration of trigeminal root were reviewed.