Robot-Assisted Percutaneous Balloon Compression in Elderly Patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effects of percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) for trigeminal neuralgia in elderly patients with the assistance of a neurosurgical navigation and positioning planning system (referred to hereafter as the robot). METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 11 patients with trigeminal neuralgia. Preoperative TOF MRA, T2WI-SPACE, and thin-slice CT scans were performed, and the volume of Meckel’s Cave was calculated by multi-modal image fusion on a workstation. Surgical planning involved two paths. Path A was the actual puncture path, the target point was the anterior inner quadrant of the inner opening of the foramen ovale; Path B represented a virtual path for measurement, and was used to plan the depth of balloon placement. The foramen ovale puncture for path A was completed under the guidance of a robotic arm adapter, while path B was completed under lateral X-ray fluoroscopy with a DSA machine. The balloon was placed at a predetermined depth, and filled to a “pear” shape to complete the operation. Preliminary follow-up results were obtained by considering VAS score and BNI classification. RESULTS: The foramen ovale was successfully punctured in all 11 patients and entered Meckel’s Cave, the balloon was then filled to create a “pear shape”. Immediate complete healing was achieved in 10 patients and delayed healing was achieved in one patient by the 5th postoperative day. No serious complications were identified that were related to surgery, and over a follow-up time of 1–12 months, there was no recurrence of pain, and a BNI numbness grade of 2–3 points. The appropriate ratio of the balloon inflated volume to the preoperative Meckel’s Cave volume was approximately 1.7. CONCLUSION: Preliminary clinical application and short-term follow-up showed that robot-assisted PBC surgery is a safe and effective surgical method for elderly patients with trigeminal neuralgia.