Papers of the Week

Microvascular decompression remains the first line surgical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia when an offending vessel can be identified causing neurovascular compression. However, there are patients without neurovascular compression who either develop trigeminal neuralgia or have recurrence after MVD. In addition, patients with venous and less severe arterial compression are known to have reduced efficacy after microvascular decompression. Internal neurolysis (IN), is a surgical technique of separating the fascicles of the trigeminal nerve and may be a good option for trigeminal neuralgia patients without vascular compression.