Sex-dependent posterior fossa anatomical differences in trigeminal neuralgia patients with and without neurovascular compression: a volumetric MRI age- and sex-matched case-control study.

Objective: The pathophysiology of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in patients without neurovascular compression (NVC) is not completely understood. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the hypothesis that TN patients without NVC differ from TN patient with NVC with respect to brain anatomy and demographic characteristics.

Methods: Six anatomical brain measurements from high-resolution brain MR images were tabulated; anterior-posterior (AP) prepontine cistern length, cerebellopontine angle (CPA) cistern volume, nerve-to-nerve distance, symptomatic nerve length, pons volume, and posterior fossa volume were assessed on OsiriX.

A novel scoring system as a preoperative predictor for pain-free survival after microsurgery for trigeminal neuralgia.

Objective: Pain relief following microvascular decompression (MVD) for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) may be related to pain type, degree of neurovascular conflict, arterial compression, and location of compression. The objective of this study was to construct a predictive pain-free scoring system based on clinical and radiographic factors that can be used to preoperatively prognosticate long-term outcomes for TN patients following surgical intervention (MVD or internal neurolysis [IN]). It was hypothesized that contributing factors would include pain type, presence of an artery or vein, neurovascular conflict severity, and compression location (root entry zone).

Pain-free survival after vagoglossopharyngeal complex sectioning with or without microvascular decompression in glossopharyngeal neuralgia.

Objective: Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GN) is a rare pain condition in which patients experience paroxysmal, lancinating throat pain. Multiple surgical approaches have been used to treat this condition, including microvascular decompression (MVD), and sectioning of cranial nerve (CN) IX and the upper rootlets of CN X, or a combination of the two. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term quality of life and pain-free survival after MVD and sectioning of the CN X/IX complex.

Deep Brain Stimulation-Related Infections: Analysis of Rates, Timing, and Seasonality.

Background: Infection is one of the most common complications of deep brain stimulation (DBS). Long-term infection rates beyond the immediate postoperative period are rarely evaluated.

Objective: To study short- and long-term DBS-related infection rates; to evaluate any potential seasonality associated with DBS-related infections.