Etiology of trigeminal neuralgia – compression of the trigeminal nerve root by tortuous blood vessels

  Trigeminal neuralgia, which is characterized by unilateral facial episodes of electrical or knife-like pain, is often triggered by certain actions such as talking, brushing teeth, washing face, etc. Each pain lasts from a few seconds to tens of seconds and can be completely painless during intervals.  In addition to intracranial tumors, about 80% of patients have abnormal pain due to the compression of the trigeminal nerve root by tortuous intracranial arteries, resulting in increased afferent impulses.  Once the cause is clearly identified, treatment measures can also be determined. The cure for the cause is to detach the intracranial tortuous compression vessel from the trigeminal nerve root and separate the vessel from the nerve with some material to achieve the goal of preserving the normal sensation of the face and eliminating the pain at the same time.