Effectiveness of Microvascular Decompression (MVD) for Trigeminal Neuralgia (TGN) in Terms of Improvement in Facial Pain

Background: For intractable TN of any kind and other cranial nerve issues, micro-vascular decompression (MVD) is currently the gold standard surgical technique.  With few complications and little post-operative pain, it is the preferred safe and efficient treatment for persistent pain for people of all ages.  The purpose of this study was to assess how well microvascular decompression (MVD) worked to treat idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia in terms of post-operative pain alleviation. Place and Duration: Conducted at the department of Neurosurgery, Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan, for the duration from May 2024 to December 2024. Methodology: 67 patients between the ages of 40 and 70 who had unilateral idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia lasting longer than three months were included.  Patients with bilateral trigeminal neuralgia, h/o micro-vascular decompression, and a history of rhizotomy or sclerosing agent injections in the trigeminal nerve route were not included.  Every patient had the microvascular decompression operation.  Every patient was monitored after surgery, and on the seventh post-operative day, the final result (in terms of post-operative pain) was recorded as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Results: It was 56.57 ± 8.19 years old on average. With a female to male ratio of 1.6:1, 41 (61.19%) of the 67 patients were female and 26 (38.81%) were male. The average pain scores before and after surgery were 7.09 ± 1.60 and 1.40 ± 2.68, respectively. 51 patients (76.12%) had satisfactory results, while 16 individuals (23.88%) had bad results. Conclusion: This study finds that while treating idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia, microvascular decompression (MVD) has a high frequency of favorable results (in terms of post-operative pain alleviation).