title: [Diagnosing neurovascular compression syndromes].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neurovascular compression syndromes are diseases caused by abnormal contact between a vessel loop and the root exit/entry zone of a cranial nerve. Compression can cause paroxysmal attacks of abnormal motor or sensory phenomena in the affected nerve.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review based on a selective analysis of the literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neurovascular compression syndromes include well-established entities such as trigeminal neuralgia, facial hemispasm, vestibular paroxysmia and glossopharyngeus neuralgia but also cranial nerve disorders caused by compression due to an aneurysm, e. g., oculomotor nerve paresis caused by an aneurysm of the posterior communicating branch. An overview of neurovascular compression syndromes is given, outlining diagnostic procedures and the morphological imaging features of each syndrome as well as the changes seen after treatment are described.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neurovascular compression syndromes are complex diseases. MR imaging plays an important role in the diagnostic workup of these diseases.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Diagnostische Radiologie und Neuroradiologie, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald. langso@uni-greifswald.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Langner
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hosten
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirsch
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*