Microsurgical technique in the treatment of vascular compression of cranial nerves in the posterior fossa.

The authors report on 2 cases: cerebello-pontine syndrome and a trigeminal neuralgia with homolateral facial spasm. In both patients the clinical syndrome was thought to be of vascular origin and the vessels accompanying the nerves showed to be tightly anchored to them by means of arachnoid bridges. Microsurgery allowed for performing section of the arachnoid bridges in order to prevent the nerves from the continuous microtrauma due to the vascular pulsation, this being the pathogenic mechanism responsible for the suffering of the nerves themselves.