Microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia caused by trigeminocerebellar artery

Norio Ichimasu; Nobuyuki Nakajima; Ken Matsushima; Michihiro Kohno; Yutaka Takusagawa

doi:10.3171/2020.7.FOCVID2017

Microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia caused by trigeminocerebellar artery

Neurosurg Focus Video. 2020 Oct 1;3(2):V4. doi: 10.3171/2020.7.FOCVID2017. eCollection 2020 Oct.

Authors

Norio Ichimasu¹, Nobuyuki Nakajima¹, Ken Matsushima¹, Michihiro Kohno¹, Yutaka Takusagawa²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo; and.
² Department of Neurosurgery, Kosei Chuo General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract

In this operative video, the authors demonstrate the case of a 53-year-old woman who presented with typical right trigeminal neuralgia by a trigeminocerebellar artery (TCA). The TCA was first defined by Marinković as a unique branch of the basilar artery supplying both the trigeminal nerve root and the cerebellar hemisphere. As a result of the close relationship between this vessel and the nerve root, the TCA might compress the nerve root, thereby causing trigeminal neuralgia. However, few cases of trigeminal neuralgia caused by TCA have been reported. This video shows the microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia by the TCA. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/UnGsCQRK6aY.

Keywords: cerebellopontine angle; microvascular decompression; surgical video; trigeminal neuralgia; trigeminocerebellar artery.