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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
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Microvascular Decompression: Salient Surgical Principles and Technical Nuances
Published on: July 5, 2011
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Microvascular decompression of a C-2 segmental-type vertebral artery producing trigeminal hypesthesia
Jonathan N Sellin1, Baraa Al-Hafez, Edward A M Duckworth
1Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
Journal of Neurosurgery
|June 28, 2014
Summary
A vertebral artery (VA) compressing the spinal cord caused trigeminal hypesthesia. Microvascular decompression successfully treated this rare condition, relieving the patient's symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Vascular Neurology
Background:
- Aberrant intradural vertebral artery (VA) loops can cause cervical myelopathy.
- Microvascular decompression is a potential treatment for VA-induced spinal cord compression.
Observation:
- A 52-year-old man presented with headache, dizziness, left facial numbness, and left upper-extremity paresthesia.
- Symptoms worsened with right head turning, suggesting cervical spine involvement.
Findings:
- Cervical spine MRI revealed an intradural left VA loop compressing the spinal cord at the C-2 level.
- The patient underwent microvascular decompression to relieve the VA compression.
Implications:
- Successful microvascular decompression resolved trigeminal hypesthesia and myelopathic symptoms.
- This case highlights VA loops as a treatable cause of spinal cord compression and neurological deficits.
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