Objectives: A study to assess rates of complications following microvascular decompression (MVD) for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and recurrence of symptoms post operatively.

Methods: A retrospective study looking at complications and respective rates that have arisen post MVD for TN. Furthermore, the study will look at rates of recurrence of symptoms if any of a pool of 37 patients that have undergone surgery at a neurosurgical unit in the North East of England.

Results: We reviewed the medical notes of 37 patients that underwent MVD from 2004-2018. 27 of those patients had documented post operative complications. 6 out of 27 patients (22%) had facial numbness, 2 (7%) had facial numbness, 3 (11%) reported reduced hearing, 2 (7%) had postoperative wound leak of which one was treated with antibiotics. On first outpatient clinic follow up, 10 patients had facial numbness, 4 had tongue numbness, reduced hearing in 2, dizziness, facial weakness, blurry vision and wound infection was reported in 1 patient respectively. Postoperative trigeminal pain was recorded in 28 patients. Just 4 of them (14%) had trigeminal pain immediate postoperatively, and just one patient (4%) had residual pain on the first follow up as outpatient. We are also collecting data on long term recurrence rates via GPs and from medical notes. So far, of the responses from the GP, there have been a two of eleven patients had recurrent symptoms and 4 has long term complications. Final data will be presented at a later date.

Conclusions: There have been common complications of MVD for TN that have been observed in the pool of patient studied; notably, residual facial and tongue numbness. However, the majority of the patients were pain free when reviewed at their post-operative outpatient clinic visit with no recurrence of symptoms. We are awaiting data for long term recurrence and complications.