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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Experimental Therapeutics
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1474553
This article is part of the Research Topic Advancements in Surgical Strategies and Technologies for Cranial Nerve Disorders View all 7 articles

Interposition versus Transposition Technique in Microvascular Decompression for Trigeminal Neuralgia secondary to Vertebrobasilar Dolichoectasia: A Systematic Review and Pooled Meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Francesco Signorelli Francesco Signorelli 1,2Fabio Zeoli Fabio Zeoli 1,2*Valid Rastegar Valid Rastegar 2Flavia Beccia Flavia Beccia 1,2Riccardo Caronna Riccardo Caronna 2Massimiliano Visocchi Massimiliano Visocchi 1,2
  • 1 Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
  • 2 Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Rome, Sicily, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Limited data are available comparing the interposition and transposition techniques for microvascular decompression (MVD) in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) secondary to Vertebrobasilar Dolichoectasia (VBD); this study aims to review current findings on TN associated with VBD and compare the interposition and transposition techniques in terms of surgical morbidity and patient outcomes. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases were searched to identify studies reporting patients undergoing MVD for TN secondary to VBD. The studies were divided into two groups, interposition and transposition, based on the microvascular decompression technique used. Studies not reporting the diagnostic criteria, included less than five cases, or were not available in English were excluded. Results: Fourteen eligible papers were retrieved, of which six studies reported cases undergoing the interposition technique, seven studies for the transposition technique, and one study reported cases from both groups. Data including preoperative and postoperative BNI class, comorbidities, and postoperative complications were retrieved to analyze and compare the two techniques in terms of efficacy and long-term outcomes in treating TN secondary to VBD.Conclusions: Both interposition and transposition techniques for MVD yield high rates of pain relief in patients with TN secondary to VBD. While both approaches demonstrate similar efficacy, the interposition method is associated with a lower rate of long-term complications. Further research, preferably through randomized prospective studies, is needed to refine surgical strategies and improve patient outcomes.

    Keywords: Microvascular decompression, Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Interposition, Transposition

    Received: 01 Aug 2024; Accepted: 22 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Signorelli, Zeoli, Rastegar, Beccia, Caronna and Visocchi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Fabio Zeoli, Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (IRCCS), Rome, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.