title: Long-term effectiveness of an ad hoc tailored titanium implant as a spacer for microvascular decompression in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia caused by megadolichoectatic basilar artery anomaly: 9-year follow-up.
abstract: An enlarged, elongated, ectatic, and sclerotic aberration of the vertebrobasilar system is known as a megadolichoectatic basilar artery (BA) anomaly. The anomaly is often involved in the pathological process of trigeminal neuralgia by compressing and distorting the trigeminal nerve. First-line medical treatment includes drug therapy, but a second-line surgical procedure could be effective in medication-resistant cases. The authors report the case of a 65-year-old man with a 12-year history of progressing trigeminal neuralgia who underwent microvascular decompression after the first-line drug treatment had failed. This case is unique because an in situ tailored titanium microplate was used as a spacer to alleviate compression by the BA on the trigeminal nerve. The titanium implant provided durable and sufficient retraction for the sclerotic arterial complex when the trigeminal nerve was placed in the tunnel of the implant. The 9-year follow-up examination proves the safety and long-term efficacy of titanium implants in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia caused by a megadolichoectatic BA anomaly. The method applied in this case was not intended to be and certainly is not an alternative to routine microvascular decompression-this surgical solution may be reserved for some extreme cases.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Neurosurgery, and.
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Banczerowski
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Czigléczki
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nyáry
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001860:Bone Plates; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000379:methods; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061145:Microvascular Decompression Surgery / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014025:Titanium; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium
keywords: AICA = anterior inferior cerebellar artery; BA = basilar artery; CTA = CT angiography; MVD = microvascular decompression; SCA = superior cerebellar artery; TN = trigeminal neuralgia; VA = vertebral artery; functional neurosurgery; long-term effectiveness; megadolichoectatic basilar artery anomaly; microvascular decompression; titanium implant; trigeminal neuralgia