Relationship between compression site of vascular compression of primary trigeminal neuralgia and facial pain area MRI study / 中国医学影像技术

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the value of MRI in analyzing relationship between compression site of the vascular compression and the facial pain area in patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN).Methods MRI data of 123 patients with unilateral PTN were retrospectively analyzed,including imaging of three-dimensional-time of flight MRA (3D TOF MRA) sequence,three-dimensional-fast imaging employing steady state acquisition sequence and contrast-enhanced 3D TOF MRA sequence.Neurovascular conflict (NVC) sites were divided into 8 sites according to the sectional anatomy of trigeminal nerve,and the relations between topography of pain and site of NVC were analyzed in 60 PTN patients with a single offending vessel and a single site of NVC.Distance (d) from the root entry point to the site of NVC,the length (L) of cisternal segment of the trigeminal nerve were both measured,and d/L was calculated in 123 patients with 206 NVC points.Results Of 60 patients with single offending vessel and single site of NVC,95.00％ (57/60) sites of NVC matched to topography of pain,5.00％ (3/60) did not,whereas NVC points with d/L≤1/4 accounted for 58.33％ (35/ 60),d/L≤1/2 accounted for 85.00％ (51/60).Among 206 NVC points,the meand was (2.50±1.35)mm,and NVC points with d/L≤1/4 accounted for 44.66％ (92/206),d/L≤1/2 accounted for 74.27％ (153/206).Conclusion MRI is helpful to detecting the offending vessels in PTN patients through judging relationship between the topography of pain and the site of NVC,as well as measuring the distance from the root entry point to the site of NVC.