Trigeminocardiac reflex during cerebellopontine angle surgery: anatomical location as a new risk factor

ABSTRACT  Aim: Trigeminocardicac reflex (TCR), a brainstem reflex, can be manifested in almost all types of surgery in the head and neck region. Patients & methods: Retrospective review of 125 patients operated on cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors according to strict inclusion/exclusion criteria. Results: A total of 14 out of 125 patients showed TCR during CPA tumor operation. In total, 29% of those patients presented with a meningioma located exclusively premeatal, but not retromeatal in the CPA. There was significant relationship between meningiomas subgroups and TCR (Barnard test; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Anatomical location may represent an important, but not yet described risk factor for the TCR having therefore an important role in the understanding of the TCR.