The Gardner neurovascular decompression operation for trigeminal neuralgia.

W. James Gardner developed a unique operation to treat selected cases of trigeminal neuralgia. In 1959 Gardner described the vascular decompression operation of the trigeminal nerve, an operation which has been further refined and popularized by Jannetta and has often been misnamed as the Jannetta operation. Gardner should be given credit for conceiving and developing this neurovascular decompression operation. The value of this operation is illustrated by two cases.