What are side effects of MVD surgery?

Microvascular decompression is an invasive procedure, and while safe in expert hands, does have potential rare/infrequent risks, including:

• Infection.
• Hearing loss, facial numbness, and/or facial weakness (usually temporary, rarely permanent)
• Spinal fluid leak.
• Difficulty with speech or swallowing.

What is MVD surgery?

Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a surgical treatment designed to treat facial pain or facial spasm that is not helped by other medical therapies. MVD is a microsurgical procedure, meaning the neurosurgeon uses an operating microscope and fine instruments to operate on the delicate blood vessels and nerves.

What happens when the trigeminal nerve is damaged?

A trigeminal nerve injury may affect a small area, like part of your gum, or a large area, like one side of your face. The injury can cause problems with chewing and speaking. The extent depends on where the nerve damage occurs. You may have ongoing numbness or facial pain in the area that the nerve serves.

How successful is MVD surgery?

MVD has a long-term success rate of approximately 80\% as a stand-alone treatment. The procedure requires an average hospital stay of two days, and four to six weeks to return to normal daily activities.

Can trigeminal neuralgia come back after surgery?

Recurrence may occur in 18–30\% of patients, mainly within 2 years of surgery and thereafter at a rate of 2–5\% per year [4,14].

Is MVD considered brain surgery?

MVD requires the use of general anesthesia. In addition, because it is also brain surgery, those with other medical conditions or who are in generally poor health may not be candidates.

How long is recovery from MVD surgery?

Driving can start at around 7 days after MVD surgery. heavy lifting isn’t permitted until 6 weeks post-op. Including your hospitalization, your microvascular decompression recovery time may span between two and four weeks with gradual progress made along the way.

Can the trigeminal nerve be severed?

If a vein is compressing the nerve, your surgeon may remove it. Doctors may also cut part of the trigeminal nerve (neurectomy) during this procedure if arteries aren’t pressing on the nerve. Microvascular decompression can successfully eliminate or reduce pain most of the time, but pain can recur in some people.

Can a trigeminal nerve be repaired?

The best time to treat a trigeminal nerve injury with surgical repair is controversial but is ideally within three months of the initial injury. This time frame is associated with the highest rate of success.

Is trigeminal neuralgia surgery considered brain surgery?

Trigeminal neuralgia surgery is not a brain surgery as it does not affect the brain. Microvascular decompression surgery involves making an opening in the skull and the membrane (dura) covering the brain, to access the trigeminal nerve. The brain itself is untouched during the surgery.

Can trigeminal neuralgia come back after MVD?

Although the initial success rate is typically high, there are still about 5\% of patients experience little or no pain relief after MVD. In addition, 10 to 30\% of patients may suffer recurrent neuralgia in the follow-up, with a yearly recurrence risk of 1\% to 4\%.

Can you cut the trigeminal nerve?