Trigeminal neuralgia caused by a persistent primitive trigeminal artery variant passing through Meckel's cavity: a case report.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Persistent primitive trigeminal artery variant (PPTAv) is a rare remnant of the primitive intracranial embryonic anastomotic arteries, and its persistence has an unknown etiology. Trigeminal neuralgia attributed to a PPTAv passing through Meckel's cavity is extremely uncommon.

Case presentation

A 73-year-old woman presented with right-sided facial pain for 10 years that had failed to respond to medication. Magnetic resonance angiography suggested the presence of a PPTAv compressing the trigeminal nerve, as the abnormal artery originated from the right internal carotid artery. During microvascular decompression (MVD), the offending vessel was inferred to be a PPTAv, as it continued to become the anterior inferior cerebellar artery after passing through Meckel's cav

SUBMITTER: Zhu Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10702054 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature