The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term results of a series of 200 patients operated on by percutaneous compression of the gasserian ganglion (PCGG) according to Mullan and Lichtor’s technique. The balloon was inflated for 6 min with 0.7 cm³ of iopamiro. We report excellent and satisfactory results in 62.5% of the cases and recurrence in 32.5% with a mean follow-up of 51 months. Severe sensory complications were rare (3%), whereas hearing disturbances were more frequent (11%). One unfortunate postoperative death was reported. With acceptable morbidity and in spite of this death, PCGG is an effective method which can easily be repeated in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.

Background:The aim of our study was to describe the retrogasserian balloon compression (RGBC) procedure with some personal tricks and to assess the long-term results.Methods:Between 1985 and 2012, 901 patients, suffering from refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN), underwent RGBC procedure in our department. Concerning the surgical technique, the introducer was in close contact with the posterior extremity of the horizontal plate of the palatine bone and had the direction of the bisector of the angle clivus-superior edge of the petrous bone on an X-rays sagittal view. No metallic material was inserted intracranially. The balloon was inflated with 0.7 cc of contrast medium for 6 min.Results:At 1 month follow up, appreciable pain relief was obtained in 835 patients (92.7%). At 1 year, results were excellent in 605 patients (67.1%), satisfactory in 109 patients (12.1%), poor in 57 patients (6.3%), fair in 66 patients (7.3%), whereas recurrences were observed in the remaining 64 patients (7.2%). At mean follow up of 16,5 years, 559 (62%) patients remained pain free. Twenty six patients (2,8%) continued to experience severe pain. Recurrences occurred in two hundred and fifty patients (27,8%). Fifty two of them were operated on a third time and 22 underwent four procedures.Conclusion:RGBC is an appropriate and effective procedure for treatment of refractory TN, ensuring a long lasting pain relief predicted on three factors: pear shape of the balloon, its volume, and duration as mentioned earlier.

One hundred and fifty patients with trigeminal neuralgia were treated by percutaneous compression of the Gasserian ganglion (PCGG) during the last 8 years. The technique is the one described by Mullan with the balloon inflated during 6 minutes with 0,7 cc of contrast medium. Over a follow-up period ranging from 6 months to 8 years with an average of 4 years, one hundred and four patients (69,3%) have remained painfree. Postoperative complications included dysaesthesias in 16 patients (moderate in 15), hypo-aesthesia in 140 (moderate in 138), hypo-acousia and otalgia in ten, and masticatory weakness also in ten. The recurrence rate was 30%. The main advantages of the procedure are exceptionally severe dysaesthesias (one case), the rarity of corneal complications (4 cases), the short hospital stay (three days on average). Its disadvantage is the need for a general anaesthetic. This study shows that percutaneous compression is efficacious and technically easy.

Hydrocortisone replacement is advised in TBI patients with morning cortisol <276 nmol/L or those <414 nmol/L with additional risk factors for AI. As acute and subsequent AI are poorly correlated, patients with moderate/severe TBI require adrenal re-evaluation during the recovery phase.

This review deals with the long-term results of selective peripheral neurotomy (SPN) of the tibial nerve and selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR) in 123 cases of severe spastic syndromes in the limbs. The microtechniques and peroperative electrostimu-lation for identification of the nervous structures responsible for the spastic components give to these methods an advantage of a substantial reduction of the harmful spasticity, without suppressing the useful muscle tone and impairing the residual motor and sensory functions. The results were effective, with a 1- to 13-year follow-up, in 89% of 47 SPN of the tibial nerve for spastic foot, in 92% of 53 SPR for paraplegia and in 87% of 23 SPR for hemiplegia.