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Papers of the Week


2020 Jul 01


Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown)


19


1

Vascular Transposition of the Superior Cerebellar Artery Using a Fenestrated Clip and Fibrin Glue in Trigeminal Neuralgia: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Authors

Abi-Aad KR, Turcotte E, Patra DP, Welz ME, Maiti T, Hess R, Kalen B, Krishna C, Zimmerman RS, Bendok BR
Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2020 Jul 01; 19(1):E50-E51.
PMID: 31724733.

Abstract

This is the case of an 86-yr-old gentleman who presented with left facial pain exacerbated by eating, drinking, chewing, and shaving (distribution: V2, V3). The patient was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia and was refractory to medications. Imaging showed a superior cerebellar artery (SCA) loop adjacent to the trigeminal nerve root entry zone and a decision to perform a microvascular decompression of the fifth nerve was presented to the patient. After patient informed consent was obtained, a standard 3 cm × 3 cm retrosigmoid craniotomy was performed with the patient in a supine head turned position and in reverse Trendelenburg. The arachnoid bands tethering the SCA to the trigeminal nerve were sharply divided. A slit was then made in the tentorium and a 3 mm fenestrated clip was then used to secure the transposed SCA away from the trigeminal nerve. The SCA proximal to this was slightly patulous in its course so a small amount of a fibrin glue was also used to secure the more proximal SCA to the tentorium. The patient was symptom-free postoperatively and no longer required medical therapy. Additionally, imaging was consistent with adequate separation of the nerve from adjacent vessels.1-5.