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[Trigeminal neuralgia: how often are trigeminal nerve-vessel contacts found by MRI in normal volunteers]
B Kress1, M Schindler, D Rasche
1Abteilung Neuroradiologie, Neurologische Klinik, Universitätsklinik Heidelberg. bodo_kress@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Purpose:
To assess prospectively how often contacts are found between the trigeminal nerve and arteries or veins in the perimesencephalic cistern via MRI in normal volunteers.
Materials And Methods:
48 volunteers without a history of trigeminal neuralgia were examined prospectively (MRI at 1.5 T; T2-CISS sequence, coronal orientation, 0.9 mm slice thickness). Two radiologists decided by consensus whether there was a nerve-vessel contact in the perimesencephalic cistern.
Results:
In 27 % of the volunteers, no contact was found between the trigeminal nerve and regional vessels, while in 73 %, such a contact was present. In 61 % of the cases, the offending vessel was an artery, in 39 %, it was a vein. In 2 volunteers, a deformation of the nerve was noted.
Conclusion:
Contrary to what has been suggested by retrospective studies, the majority of normal volunteers, if studied prospectively, do show a contact between the trigeminal nerve and local vessels. A close proximity between the nerve and regional vessels is thus normal and is not necessarily proof of a pathological nerve-vessel conflict.
