Objective: To study the preoperative high resolution three-dimensional MR imaging of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia, demonstrating the use in selection of patients and planning of the treatment.
Methods: The enhanced three-dimensional spoiled gradient-recalled imaging and three-dimensional MR angiography with 3-T MRI system were used to detect the anatomic relationship of neural and vascular structures at the trigeminal root entry zone preoperatively, surgical findings served as a reference to compare the MR visualization with the exact anatomic relations.
Results: Twenty-nine of 33 patients, who had the MRI positive vascular contact or compression, which was consistent to the symptom side, received the microvascular decompression (MVD). Surgical findings revealed neurovascular conflicts in all subjects, 27 of 29 (93%) were consistent to the imaging results, all the patients treated with MVD had the immediate complete pain relief.
Conclusions: High-resolution MR imaging successfully demonstrated its usefulness in detecting the neurovascular contact at the trigeminal root entry zone, thereby facilitating the selection of patients who were most likely to benefit from MVD.