• Jinzhi Lin, Yang Zhang, Ruoyu Peng, Xiao Ji, Guoxuan Luo, Weishi Luo, Mo Wang, Minghua Zhu, Xiaohui Sun, and Yong Zhang.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China.
• World Neurosurg. 2019 Jan 1; 121: e15-e21.

ObjectiveTo analyze treatment of microvascular decompression using the retrosigmoid approach (RA) in primary trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm using preoperative images combined with intraoperative microscopic navigation to avoid unnecessarily opening the mastoid air cells (MACs).MethodsTen patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia and 20 patients with hemifacial spasm (test group) were treated using RA for microvascular decompression. Preoperative head magnetic resonance angiography and temporal bone computed tomography were performed and the images registered using SPM12 and fused with MRIcron to determine the relationship between MACs and sigmoid sinuses. An O-arm was used for navigation, and the transverse sigmoid sinus was projected under a microscope to guide RA. A control group comprised 139 patients who had the same surgical procedure as the test group but without image processing or intraoperative navigation.ResultsThe relationship between MACs and the ipsilateral sigmoid sinus was classified as follows: I, MACs did not exceed the lateral edge of the ipsilateral sigmoid sinus (10/60); II, MACs exceeded the ipsilateral lateral edge of the sigmoid sinus but did not exceed the medial edge (42/60); and III, MACs exceeded the medial edge of the ipsilateral sigmoid sinus (8/60). Test and control groups showed significant differences in the incidences of opening MACs (P = 0.003). There was no cerebrospinal fluid leakage or scalp and intracranial infection at follow-up.ConclusionsImage processing and intraoperative microscopic navigation can avoid unnecessarily opening MACs and might reduce postoperative cerebrospinal leakage and scalp infection after RA craniotomy.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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