Percutaneous balloon compression for persistent or recurrent trigeminal neuralgia after microvascular decompression: personal experience of 28 patients

The objective of this study is to investigate the long-term effects of percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) for treating persistent or recurrent trigeminal neuralgia (TN) after microvascular decompression (MVD). The clinical features, surgical findings, outcomes, and complications of 28 patients underwent PBC for TN in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between April 2011 and March 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. All the patients had received MVD before but they did not get cured or the symptom relapsed during follow-up. Twenty-six patients (92.9%) experienced immediate pain relief; one patient (3.6%) improved but still had occasional pain. The other one (3.6%) had no pain relief and repeat PBC was performed with complete resolution of the symptom. With a mean follow-up of 39.9 months, ranging from 24 to 65 months after surgery, 24 (85.7%) patients remained pain-free; three patients (11.1%) had a relapse. Surgical complications included facial numbness in 27 patients (96.4%), masseter muscle weakness in 10 patients (35.7%), and diplopia secondary to abducens nerve palsy in one patient (3.6%). None of the patients had serious surgical morbidities. PBC is a minimally invasive, safe, and effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, especially suitable for patients with persistent or recurrent TN after MVD.