[Adjunctive use of endoscopy during microvascular decompression in the cerebellopontine angle: 27 case reports]

Microvascular decompression is an important procedure for the management of microvascular compression syndromes in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) like trigeminal neuralgia or hemifacial spasm. The ability to identify the offending vessel is the key to success. Can the endoscope help surgeons to identify and understand the responsible conflict in order to treat them? Our series concerns 27 consecutive patients who underwent microvascular decompression systematically using an endoscope with an angulation of 30° at the beginning and the end of the intervention. The decompression procedure was done under microscope. Endoscopic exploration was successful for all patients. Endoscopy improved visualization of the cranial nerves and allowed to see and understand the neurovascular conflicts, which were not able to be observed using the microscope alone for two of the 27 patients. The endoscope is a useful adjunct to microscopic exploration of the cranial nerves in the CPA avoiding significant cerebellar or brainstem retraction.