Commentary on “The elderly as a contraindication to microvascular decompression: is there evidence? Many elderly people with drug-resistant trigeminal neuralgia, who are afraid of surgery or have been told by some doctors that it is risky, then opt for trigeminal nerve disruption treatment, but may end up with relapses, repeated disruptions, which can leave serious sequelae and some become persistent central pain that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Is this really the case? This year the Journal of the Neurological Sciences published a study by P. Ferroli of Milan, Italy, on the use of the elderly as a form of pain relief.
Ferroli, Milan, Italy, “The elderly as a contraindication to microvascular decompression: is there evidence? an article. The article reported on 476 patients undergoing microvascular decompression surgery between 1997 and 2007, all with a preoperative anesthesia rating of ASA no greater than 3, with a mean follow-up time of 70.45 months. Hearing loss was 0.9% in the elderly group and 1% in the middle-aged group; there were no deaths in either group. This article provides a strong evidence that microvascular decompression is “not dangerous” and effective in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia in elderly people over 65 years of age. Therefore, it should be the treatment of choice for trigeminal neuralgia in all age groups.