Significance and utility of MR cisternography for diagnosis and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia

This review article provides doctors and dentists with an introduction to the clinical applications and sig- nificance of magnetic resonance cisternography (MRC) for the evaluation of neurovascular compression of the trigeminal nerve in patients with trigeminal neu- ralgia (TN). Specifically, the method and characteris- tics of MRC are first explained using the relevant MR sequences. Next, clinical applications for the diagnosis of TN are discussed. Finally, the significance and util- ity of MRC for effective treatment of patients with TN, such as carbamazepine administration and/or local anesthetic blocks, are presented.