Abstract:Objective To analyze the factors contributing to the ineffectiveness of percutaneous balloon compression in patients with trigeminal neuralgia.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 89 patients with trigeminal neuralgia admitted to the Taizhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between November 2021 and February 2023. All participants underwent percutaneous balloon compression therapy. Based on the head-to-body ratio of the balloons, they were divided into type C (n = 23, > 20%), type B (n = 39, 10%~20%) and type A (n = 27, < 10%). The patients with trigeminal neuralgia were categorized into the effective group and the ineffective group according to the effect of percutaneous balloon compression, with 66 and 23 cases in each group, respectively. The intraoperative balloon volumes, balloon head-to-body ratios, and clinical data of the two groups were compared. The factors associated with treatment failure in patients with trigeminal neuralgia undergoing percutaneous balloon compression were analyzed.Results The balloon volumes and the head-to-body ratios of the type B balloons in the ineffective group were lower than those in the effective group (P < 0.05). The proportion of patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 24kg/m2 in the ineffective group was higher than that in the effective group (P < 0.05). The long diameter and the long diameter ratio of the foramen ovale in the ineffective group were lower than those in the effective group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of sex, age, history of hypertension, history of alcohol consumption, disease duration, affected side, history of diabetes mellitus, involved branches, transverse diameter and transverse diameter ratio of the foramen ovale, smoking history, abducens nerve palsy, or postoperative facial numbness. Multivariable Logistic regression analysis showed that the balloon volumes [O^R = 0.265 (95% CI: 0.117, 0.603) ], balloon head-to-body ratios [O^R = 0.242 (95% CI: 0.106, 0.551) ], BMI [O^R = 3.062 (95% CI: 1.346, 6.965) ] and the long diameter of the foramen ovale [O^R = 0.215 (95% CI: 0.095, 0.490) ] were factors contributing to the ineffectiveness of percutaneous balloon compression in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (P < 0.05).Conclusion Intraoperative balloon volumes, balloon head-to-body ratios, BMI, and the long diameter of the foramen ovale are closely related to the therapeutic effect of percutaneous balloon compression in patients with trigeminal neuralgia. Lower balloon volumes, type A or C balloons, higher BMI, and reduced long diameter of the foramen ovale are associated with an increased risk of treatment ineffectiveness.