Association between neurovascular contact and clinical characteristics in classical trigeminal neuralgia: A prospective clinical study using 3.0 Tesla MRI

TY - JOUR

T1 - Association between neurovascular contact and clinical characteristics in classical trigeminal neuralgia

T2 - A prospective clinical study using 3.0 Tesla MRI

AU - Maarbjerg, Stine

AU - Wolfram, Frauke

AU - Gozalov, Aydin

AU - Olesen, Jes

AU - Bendtsen, Lars

N1 - © International Headache Society 2015.

PY - 2015/10/1

Y1 - 2015/10/1

N2 - Background Previous studies demonstrated that a severe neurovascular contact (NVC) causing displacement or atrophy of the trigeminal nerve is highly associated with classical trigeminal neuralgia (TN). There are no studies describing the association between the clinical characteristics of TN and severe NVC. Methods Clinical characteristics were prospectively collected from consecutive TN patients using semi-structured interviews in a cross-sectional study design. We evaluated 3.0 Tesla MRI blinded to the symptomatic side. Results We included 135 TN patients. Severe NVC was more prevalent in men (75%) compared to women (38%) (p < 0.001), and the odds in favor of severe NVC on the symptomatic side were 5.1 times higher in men compared to women (95% CI 2.3-10.9, p < 0.001). There was no difference between patients with and without severe NVC in age (≥60 years vs. <60) (OR 1.6 95% CI (0.8-3.4), p = 0.199) or duration of disease (p = 0.101). Conclusions Severe NVC was much more prevalent in men than in women, who may more often have other disease etiologies causing or contributing to TN. Severe NVC was not associated with age or with duration of disease.

AB - Background Previous studies demonstrated that a severe neurovascular contact (NVC) causing displacement or atrophy of the trigeminal nerve is highly associated with classical trigeminal neuralgia (TN). There are no studies describing the association between the clinical characteristics of TN and severe NVC. Methods Clinical characteristics were prospectively collected from consecutive TN patients using semi-structured interviews in a cross-sectional study design. We evaluated 3.0 Tesla MRI blinded to the symptomatic side. Results We included 135 TN patients. Severe NVC was more prevalent in men (75%) compared to women (38%) (p < 0.001), and the odds in favor of severe NVC on the symptomatic side were 5.1 times higher in men compared to women (95% CI 2.3-10.9, p < 0.001). There was no difference between patients with and without severe NVC in age (≥60 years vs. <60) (OR 1.6 95% CI (0.8-3.4), p = 0.199) or duration of disease (p = 0.101). Conclusions Severe NVC was much more prevalent in men than in women, who may more often have other disease etiologies causing or contributing to TN. Severe NVC was not associated with age or with duration of disease.

U2 - 10.1177/0333102414566819

DO - 10.1177/0333102414566819

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25616608

SN - 0333-1024

VL - 35

SP - 1077

EP - 1084

JO - Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache

JF - Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache

IS - 12

ER -