Classification of neurovascular compression in typical hemifacial spasm: three-dimensional visualization of the facial and the vestibulocochlear nerves.

Object: In this paper, the authors introduce a method of noninvasive anatomical analysis of the facial nerve-vestibulocochlear nerve complex and the depiction of the variable vascular relationships by using 3D volume visualization. With this technique, a detailed spatial representation of the facial and vestibulocochlear nerves was obtained. Patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS) resulting from neurovascular compression (NVC) were examined.

Intraoperative three-dimensional visualization in microvascular decompression.

Object: The authors systematically analyzed 3D visualization of neurovascular compression (NVC) syndromes in the operating room (OR) during microvascular decompression (MVD).

Methods: A total of 50 patients (26 women and 24 men) with trigeminal neuralgia (TN), hemifacial spasm (HFS), and glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GN) were examined and underwent MVD. Preoperative imaging of the neurovascular structures was performed using constructive interference in the steady state magnetic resonance (CISS MR) imaging, which consisted of 2D image slices.