Trigeminal neuralgia caused by persistent primitive trigeminal artery

Abstract

A 66-year-old man presented with typical trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) revealed a primitive trigeminal artery (PTA) that came into contact with the trigeminal nerve. Based on MRA, we performed microvascular decompression (MVD). In the operational field, we confirmed the PTA location and performed MVD successfully. Postoperatively, the patient’s pain subsided without any complications.