The study tracked 1,185 patients treated at Presbyterian University Hospital, part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, between January 1972 and December 1991. Peter Jannetta, M.D., D.Sc., professor and chairman of neurological surgery pioneered this procedure and was the surgeon for the majority of cases.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a syndrome of chronic facial pain which severely affects quality of life.
Although it usually begins as a relapsing disease, with pain-free intervals lasting months or years, these intervals grow shorter and ultimately disappear. As the disease progresses, patients can have difficulty talking, eating and maintaining facial hygiene. Although many patients are successfully treated with medication, some require operations because drugs are ineffective or because their side effects are intolerable. About half of patients who do suffer with trigeminal neuralgia may eventually require surgical treatment. Microvascular decompression preserves the trigeminal nerve.