Complication Rates During Endoscopic Microvascular Decompression Surgery Are Low With or Without Petrosal Vein Sacrifice

Objective: Endoscopic-microvascular decompression (E-MVD) is a well-described treatment for trigeminal neuralgia (TGN), but there has been debate on the safety of intraoperative sacrifice of the petrosal vein (PV) due to concern for subsequent venous insufficiency. Our objective was to investigate the risk of PV sacrifice during E-MVD in TGN and subsequent postoperative complications and pain outcomes.

Methods: 5 five-year review yielded 201 patients who underwent MVD for TGN. PV sacrifice, vascular compressive anatomy, and postoperative complications attributable to venous insufficiency were analyzed. Preoperative and postoperative pain outcomes were analyzed.

Results: PV was sacrificed in 118 of 201 (59%) of patients, with 43 of 201 (21%) patients undergoing partial sacrifice versus 75 of 201 (37%) with complete sacrifice. No cases of venous infarction, cerebellar swelling, or fatal complications were noted in either cohort. Non-neurologic complications occurred in 1.69% (2 of 118) of patients with PV sacrifice and 0% (0 of 83) of patients with PV preservation. Neurologic deficits (facial palsy, conductive hearing loss, gait instability, memory deficit) occurred in equal proportions in PV preservation and sacrifice groups (2.41% vs. 1.69%) Overall, 87.3% (145 of 166) patients reported their pain as "very much improved" or "much improved" at 1 month, and no difference between groups was identified.

Conclusions: This study did not find higher complication rates in patients undergoing petrosal vein sacrifice during E-MVD for trigeminal neuralgia. In this series where petrosal vein was sacrificed only 59% of the time, it appears to be a safe technique, but larger studies will be needed to determine true incidence of complications after PV sacrifice.