Trigeminal nerve - artery contact in people without trigeminal neuralgia - MR study.
BACKGROUND
Neurovascular conflict is regarded as the most common cause of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. It is suspected that a blood vessel in contact with the root entry zone of a trigeminal nerve causes its irritation. The aim of the study was to evaluate how signs of neurovascular conflict can be found in people without trigeminal neuralgia


METHODS
The study was conducted retrospectively. The authors analyzed MR examinations of 60 patients (120 nerves), aged 22-77 years, who did not have trigeminal neuralgia or related symptoms. Nerve-artery contact at the root entry zone of a trigeminal nerve, nerve deformation, and atrophy were searched for in angio-3D-TOF images (slice thickness: 1 mm).


RESULTS
Contact between a trigeminal nerve and an artery was found in 30 cases (25% of nerves). The blood vessel was parallel to the nerve root in 14 cases (11.7%) and crossed it at a right or acute angle in 15 cases (12.5%). Contact between artery and atrophic nerve was found in one case. Modeling of the trigeminal nerve by an artery was not found.


CONCLUSIONS
Contact between a trigeminal nerve root and an artery in the prepontine cistern is a frequently seen anatomical variant. Therefore, detection of such a variant is not equivalent to finding the cause of a patient's complaints.
Adamczyk
Michał
M
Department of Radiology, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, Warsaw, Poland. madamc3@yahoo.com <madamc3@yahoo.com>
Bulski
Tomasz
T
Sowińska
Joanna
J
Furmanek
Artur
A
Bekiesińska-Figatowska
Monika
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001158:Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*