• Yingbin Jiao, Zhiyong Yan, Shusheng Che, Chao Wang, Jianpeng Wang, Xin Wang, He Wang, Weiguo Qi, and Yugong Feng.
• Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
• World Neurosurg. 2018 Feb 1; 110: e1-e5.

ObjectiveTo develop an improved technique for microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery using nest-shaped Teflon fibers.MethodsEighteen consecutive patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) who underwent MVD using nest-shaped Teflon fibers between January 2012 and December 2013 were included in this investigation. During the surgery, the Teflon prosthesis was formed into a nest shape by gently pushing it from the center toward the periphery. Immediate postoperative outcomes were evaluated using a numerical rating scale score, and patients were followed up for recurrence.ResultsImmediately after the surgery, pain was completely relieved in 16 patients (88.9%) and partially relieved in 2 patients (11.1%). Seven patients (38.9%) developed postoperative complications. All complications were successfully mitigated before discharge. The patients were followed up for 2.0-3.4 years. During follow-up, recurrence was observed in 2 patients (11.1%). No Teflon adhesion or Teflon-induced granuloma was found.ConclusionsThe nest-shaped Teflon fibers in MVD surgery for TN is safe and applicable. The long-term outcomes and the comparison between hollow nest-shaped implants and the standard cigar-shaped implants should be assessed in future investigations with larger sample sizes.Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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