concerns of age for MVD

  Dear Dr.,
              Thank you so much for offering such a wonderful service via this site.  When I found it I almost couldn't believe that it existed. EVERYONE involved should certainly feel very proud of themselves for making this happen!
              My question concerns my mother who suffers with Trigeminal Neuralgia.  As with many that I have read about, it too seems that she has run out of options with using medications as a means to relieve the severe pain.  She is now 68 years of age.  What would be your concerns with having the MVD procedure at this age?
=========================================================================
Thanks for your kind words. Trigeminal neuralgia is usually a disease of the elderly. The risks are probably alittle higher in the elderly since brain blood vessels are less compliant. Ask your surgeon what their complication rate is with this type of surgery. Good luck.