Gamma Knife Surgery for Recurrent Trigeminal Neuralgia in Cases with Previous Microvascular Decompression

Microvascular decompression (MVD) and Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) are the primary treatments for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). However, many patients require further surgical treatment after initial surgery for recurrent TN. The aim of this study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of GKS for recurrent TN cases with prior MVD.

From October 2008 to June 2015, 658 patients at West China Hospital underwent GKS as the only surgical treatment, and 42 patients underwent GKS with prior MVD. The single 4-mm isocenter was located at the cisternal portion of the trigeminal nerve in all patients. Median maximum prescription dose was 85 Gy (range, 70-90 Gy).

Median follow-up time was 6.2 years (range, 1.1-10 years). The percentage of patients with or without previous MVD within 1 year was 56.81%, and the percentage of patients who were pain-free was 74.74%. The recurrence rates within 10 years were 49.11% and 43.74% for patients with and without MVD, respectively. Also, 9.52% and 11.04% of patients with and without previous MVD experienced complications as a result of GKS during the long-term follow-up period. Patients who underwent previous MVD showed a significantly lower pain-free rate compared with patients without previous MVD (P = 0.01). There was no statistical significance in the recurrence rate (P = 0.82) or the complications (P = 0.93) in the 2 groups during the long-term follow-up period.

For patients with recurrent TN who previously underwent MVD, GKS remains an efficacious and safe mode of treatment.