MRI features of responsible contacts in vascular compressive trigeminal neuralgia and prediction modeling

2021 ◽  
pp. 028418512098397
Author(s):  
Yufei Zhao ◽  
Jianhua Chen ◽  
Rifeng Jiang ◽  
Xue Xu ◽  
Lin Lin ◽  
...  

Background Multiple neurovascular contacts in patients with vascular compressive trigeminal neuralgia often challenge the diagnosis of responsible contacts. Purpose To analyze the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of responsible contacts and establish a predictive model to accurately pinpoint the responsible contacts. Material and Methods Sixty-seven patients with unilateral trigeminal neuralgia were enrolled. A total of 153 definite contacts (45 responsible, 108 non-responsible) were analyzed for their MRI characteristics, including neurovascular compression (NVC) grading, distance from pons to contact (Dpons-contact), vascular origin of compressing vessels, diameter of vessel (Dvessel) and trigeminal nerve (Dtrigeminal nerve) at contact. The MRI characteristics of the responsible and non-responsible contacts were compared, and their diagnostic efficiencies were further evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The significant MRI features were incorporated into the logistics regression analysis to build a predictive model for responsible contacts. Results Compared with non-responsible contacts, NVC grading and arterial compression ratio (84.44%) were significantly higher, Dpons-contact was significantly lower at responsible contacts ( P < 0.001, 0.002, and 0.033, respectively). NVC grading had a highest diagnostic area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.742, with a sensitivity of 64.44% and specificity of 75.00%. The logistic regression model showed a higher diagnostic efficiency, with an AUC of 0.808, sensitivity of 88.89%, and specificity of 62.04%. Conclusion Contact degree and position are important MRI features in identifying the responsible contacts of the trigeminal neuralgia. The logistic predictive model based on Dpons-contact, NVC grading, and vascular origin can qualitatively improve the prediction of responsible contacts for radiologists.

Neurosurgery ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. E974-E975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Miller ◽  
Feridun Acar ◽  
Kim J. Burchiel

Abstract OBJECTIVE Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is often associated with neurovascular compression. However, intracranial tumors are occasionally observed, particularly when symptoms are atypical. We describe three patients with Type-1 TN and trigeminal schwannoma diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging, with concomitant arterial compression of the trigeminal nerve. CLINICAL PRESENTATION All three patients had Type-1 TN with spontaneous onset, paroxysm-triggered pain, and response to antiepileptic medication. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans demonstrated an ipsilateral enhancing perineural mass consistent with a schwannoma. Two of the three patients had previously undergone gamma knife radiosurgery without improvement. Subsequent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging in all three patients revealed obvious compression of the trigeminal nerve by an arterial structure. INTERVENTION Two patients underwent retrosigmoid craniectomy followed by microvascular decompression and remain pain-free. One patient elected not to pursue surgical intervention. CONCLUSION Although intracranial tumors are occasionally observed in patients with TN, neurovascular compression must still be considered as an etiology, especially if typical TN symptoms are reported.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-344
Author(s):  
Dana Mihaela Turliuc ◽  
B. Dobrovăţ ◽  
A. I. Cucu ◽  
Ş. Turliuc ◽  
Daniela Trandafir ◽  
...  

Abstract The trigeminal neuralgia caused by neurovascular compression is a neurosurgical pathology requiring the preoperative identification as exact as possible of the neurovascular conflict. In this case, neuroimaging is very useful, as it allows not only the determination of the neurovascular conflict of the trigeminal nerve, but also the correct indication of an adequate surgical approach.


2011 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 186-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc S. Schwartz ◽  
Derald E. Brackmann ◽  
Eric P. Wilkinson ◽  
John L. Go ◽  
Felipe Santos

The authors report a case of neurofibromatosis Type 2 presenting with symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia refractory to medical management following placement of an auditory brainstem implant (ABI). Physical examination and history revealed trigeminal neuralgia. A 3D FIESTA (fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition) MR imaging study demonstrated compression of the trigeminal nerve by an ABI cable. After maximal medical therapy, a retrosigmoid microscopic decompression of the trigeminal nerve achieved complete symptom resolution. This is the first report of an ABI cable becoming displaced, resulting in neurovascular compression. This case demonstrates that trigeminal neuralgia can result from nonvascular compression of the trigeminal nerve.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Sun Woo Bang ◽  
Kyung Ream Han ◽  
Seung Ho Kim ◽  
Won Ho Jeong ◽  
Eun Jin Kim ◽  
...  

Ossification of the tentorium cerebelli over the trigeminal notch is rare, but it may cause compression of the trigeminal nerve, leading to trigeminal neuralgia (TN). We were unable to find any previously reported cases with radiological evaluation, although we did find one case with surgically proven ossification of the tentorium cerebelli. Here, we present a case of TN caused by tentorial ossification over the trigeminal notch depicted on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT).


2008 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Miller ◽  
Feridun Acar ◽  
Bronwyn Hamilton ◽  
Kim Burchiel

Object The authors report on a novel technique to identify neurovascular compression in trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Using 3D reconstructed high-resolution balanced fast-field echo (BFFE) images fused with 3D time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance (MR) angiography and Gd-enhanced 3D spoiled gradient recalled sequence, it is possible to objectively visualize the trigeminal nerve and nearby arteries and veins. Methods Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 18 patients with unilateral TN using 3 sequences: BFFE, 3D TOF angiography, and 3D Gd-enhanced imaging. The images were imported into OsiriX imaging software; after their fusion, a 3D false-color reconstruction was produced using surface rendering. The reconstructed images objectively differentiate nerves and vessels and can be viewed from any angle, including the anticipated surgical approach. Results Fifteen patients were predicted to have neurovascular compression on the symptomatic side (9 arterial and 6 venous compressions). All patients had a vascular structure that was identical in location and configuration to that predicted on preoperative analysis. The 3 patients without predicted compression underwent surgical exploration because they manifested the classic symptoms. As expected, exploration in 2 of these patients revealed no offending vessel. The third patient had a small vein embedded in the trigeminal nerve that was beyond the resolution of the 3D Gd-enhanced study. Conclusions Combining BFFE with MR angiography and Gd-enhanced MR images capitalizes on the advantages of both techniques, enabling MR angiography and contrast-enhanced MR imaging discrimination of vascular structures at BFFE resolution. This results in an unambiguous 3D image that can be used to identify the neurovascular compression and plan the surgical approach.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 1145-1151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro Gutiérrez-Viedma ◽  
Nuria González-García ◽  
Miguel Yus ◽  
Manuela Jorquera ◽  
Jesús Porta-Etessam ◽  
...  

Introduction Epicrania fugax (EF) is a primary headache whose main feature is the dynamic character of the pain. EF pain typically moves across different dermatomes in a linear or zigzag trajectory. Recently, a facial variant of EF has been described, with the pain starting in the lower face and radiating upwards. Aim We report eight patients with an EF-type of pain of facial location and either upward or downward radiation. Methods For each patient, we recorded relevant demographic and clinical data. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with fast imaging employing steady state acquisition (FIESTA) was obtained in all cases for the assessment of neurovascular compression of the trigeminal nerve. Results There were seven women and one man, and the mean age was 76.1 years (standard deviation, 11.3). Six patients had a paroxysmal pain starting at the lower face and moving upwards, while two patients had downward radiation. The pain always followed a fixed linear trajectory across different dermatomes. All cases had triggers, and pain intensity was consistently severe. Half of the patients had accompanying autonomic features. Neurovascular compression with imprinting over the trigeminal root on the symptomatic side was identified in three patients. All cases responded to antiepileptic drugs, and three had spontaneous remissions. Conclusions This series reinforces the facial variant of EF and extends the phenotype with cases of downward radiation. It also contributes to enriching the differential diagnosis of facial pain. Neurovascular compression of the trigeminal nerve may be found in some cases, although a possible pathogenic link needs further research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 880-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanhai Tu ◽  
Zebin Xiao ◽  
Yingyan Zheng ◽  
Hongjie Huang ◽  
Libin Yang ◽  
...  

Background Little is known about the value of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in distinguishing malignant from benign skull-involved lesions. Purpose To evaluate the discriminative value of DWI combined with conventional CT and MRI for differentiating between benign and malignant skull-involved lesions. Material and Methods CT and MRI findings of 58 patients with pathologically proven skull-involved lesions (43 benign and 15 malignant) were retrospectively reviewed. Conventional CT and MRI characteristics and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of the two groups were evaluated and compared. Multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the differential performance of each parameter separately and together. Results The presence of cortical defects or break-through and ill-defined margins were associated with malignant skull-involved lesions (both P < 0.05). Malignant skull-involved lesions demonstrated a significantly lower ADC ( P = 0.016) than benign lesions. ROC curve analyses indicated that a combination of CT, MRI, and DWI with an ADC ≤ 0.703 × 10–3 mm2/s showed optimal sensitivity, while DWI along showed optimal specificity of 88.4% in differentiating between benign and malignant skull-involved lesions. Conclusion The combination of CT, MRI, and DWI can help to differentiate malignant from benign skull-involved lesions. CT + MRI + DWI offers optimal sensitivity, while DWI offers optimal specificity.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Shen ◽  
Wenli Zhou ◽  
Weiqiang Shen ◽  
Huimei Zhang ◽  
Xianfang Hu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The radiological assessment of neurovascular compression (NVC) is various regarding MRI techniques and assessing methods in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN), and the false-positive rate of MRI findings is not low. Better MRI techniques with the NVC assessing method are warranted to be determined. This study aims to investigate the diagnostic performance of 3D TOF MRA and 3D Fast Imaging Employing Steady-state Acquisition (FIESTA) with a novel NVC scoring system in TN patients. Methods Patients with confirmed TN who underwent MRI studies before microvascular decompression (MVD) were retrospectively included into the study. A new NVC scoring system based on the contact relationship of the trigeminal nerve and the vessel was performed to assess the NVC in the symptomatic and contralateral asymptomatic side. The radiological finding was correlated with the intraoperative result to figure out the diagnostic accuracy of MRI techniques. Besides, the comparison of both sides was performed to determine the radiological indicator of MVD. Results Seventy-three TN patients were recruited, and 146 trigeminal nerve sides were analyzed. For the symptomatic sides, 69 patients had surgically confirmed offending vessels, most of which was SCA, and the positive NVC rate was 95.5%. For the contralateral side, 33 patients have been found with NVC on MRI. The NVC score of the symptomatic side was significantly higher than that of asymptomatic sides (6.7 vs. 1.6; p < 0.001). The optimal cut-off value in predicting trigeminal neuralgia was found as NVC > 4 with sensitivity and specificity of 82.2% and 98.6%, respectively. Conclusion 3D-TOF MRA and FIESTA enable a good diagnostic performance of NVC, and NVC score > 4 was identified to predict trigeminal neuralgia, suggestive of subsequent surgical treatment. Trial registration: The study has been retrospectively registered at the local ethical Institution Review Board (IRB) of Huzhou Central Hospital and Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital with the IRB number (20181108-01; Huzhou) and (20200423-43; SRRSH).


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Shunya Hanakita ◽  
Soichi Oya ◽  
Toru Matsui

Background: We present a rare case of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) caused by an arachnoid cyst (AC) in Meckel’s cave (MC). Case Description: A 35-year-old man presented with facial pain in the left maxillary and mandibular regions. Since the initial magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed no apparent offending vessels or tumors, the patient was diagnosed with idiopathic TN, for which carbamazepine was initially effective. When his pain worsened, he was referred to our hospital. A slightly asymmetric shape of MC and distorted course of the trigeminal nerve was confirmed on the initial and repeat MR images. His pain was characterized as electric-shock-like pain, which was triggered by touching the face. Under the tentative diagnosis of an AC confined to MC compressing the trigeminal nerve, the exploration of MC through suboccipital craniotomy was performed. Intraoperatively, the AC was identified in the rostral portion of MC. The indentation of the trigeminal nerve was also observed at the orifice of MC, indicating severe compression by the AC. The wall of the AC was fenestrated. The patient’s pain was relieved immediately after surgery. Postoperative MR images showed that the course of the trigeminal nerve was straightened. Although our literature review found five similar cases, the size of the AC was the smallest in our case. Conclusion: Although it is rare, the AC confined to MC can cause TN. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of evaluating subtle radiological findings of compression on the trigeminal nerve in cases of TN seemingly without neurovascular compression.


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