Microvascular Decompression
Microvascular Decompression
What is it:

Microvascular decompression is a surgery that relieves abnormal compression of a nerve. It's performed to treat neuralgia and hemi facial spasm. These conditions are caused by associate artery or vein pressing the nerve root because it leaves the brain-stem. Once compressed, traditional nerve impulses will recruit near nerve fibers and send faulty messages. Medications typically offer relief to patients with these conditions, however once medications become ineffective or cause serious aspect effects, one treatment choice is MVD. Trigeminal neuralgia is associate irritation of the fifth cranial nerve inflicting severe pain that sometimes affects one aspect of the face, ordinarily within the forehead, teeth, cheek or jaw

Before the operation:
  • Allow your doctor to know about all your prescribed or non-prescribed medicines and herbal supplements you are taking
  • Notify your doctor if you have got a history of bleeding disorders or if you're taking any blood-thinning medications, aspirin or alternative medications that have an effect on coagulation. It's going to be necessary for you to prevent these medications before the procedure
  • Doctor will give you a special shampoo to scrub your hair in the morning before the procedure
  • Stop eating for eight hours before the operation
  • Talk to your doctor regarding any issues you've got relating to the requirement for this operation, its risks, how it'll be done or what the results can mean
The operation:
  • Doctor will give you general anesthesia so that you will be asleep during the procedure and you will not feel any pain
  • Doctors will make 3-inch incision behind the ear. The skin and muscles are raised off the bone and pleated back. Then a 1-inch gap is created within the membrane bone with a drill. The bone is removed to show the protecting covering of the brain referred to as the dura. The dura is opened with surgical scissors and pleated back to show the brain
  • Retractors placed on the brain to open a passageway to the fifth cranial nerve at its origin with the brain-stem. The doctor exposes the fifth cranial nerve and identifies any offensive vessel inflicting compression. The vessel and nerve are typically restricted by thickened tissue that has got to be dissected free
  • The doctor cuts an applicable size of sponge and inserts it between the nerve and also the vessel. Generally a vein is adherent to the nerve and inflicting compression
  • Once the sponge is in situation, the surgical instrument called retractor is removed and the dura is closed with sutures
After the operation:
  • Hospital stay is normally 2-3 days. There'll be a little wound behind their ear coated with a bandage and a tensor bandages wrapped round the head
  • Stitches ought to be removed after ten days and also the tensor bandage is thrown away at that point similarly
  • If you develop a severe headache a couple of days when discharge from the hospital, please inform your doctor
Possible complications:
  • Complications may includes facial weakness, hearing loss, leakage of spinal fluid, facial numbness, swelling and stroke