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Is hemifacial spasm accompanied by hemodynamic changes detectable by ultrasound?

  • Clinical Article - Vascular
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Abstract

Background

Arterial tortuosity of the posterior circulation compressing the facial nerve induces the ephaptic axono-axonal cross-talk that sparks hemifacial spasm. We sought if a noninvasive method such as color duplex of these arteries might detect hemodynamical changes in this condition.

Methods

Nine patients with hemifacial spasm, successfully treated with botulinum toxin, were examined with color-coded duplex ultrasound. Mean blood flow velocities of the vertebral, basilar, posterior inferior cerebellar, and anterior inferior cerebellar arteries were measured and side-to-side comparison performed.

Results

In all nine patients, the mean blood flow velocity, averaging across the two arteries, was higher on the side of the hemifacial spasm (Fisher’s exact p < 0.008; two-tailed). The results of the repeated measures ANOVA show that the main effect of side of flow was statistically significant, F(1,8) = 17.354, p = .0032, with higher mean blood flow velocities observed on the side of the hemifacial spasm. There was no significant association between the mean flow velocity of the vertebral artery and the side of spasm (p = 0.523).

Conclusions

Hemifacial spasm also seems to relate to hemodynamic changes, which may be detectable by color duplex imaging.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Professor Roger Graves University of Victoria, Canada, for his statistical advice.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the material and methods used in this study or the findings specified in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, HUG, University Hospital and Medical Faculty of Geneva, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland

    Fabienne Perren & Michel R. Magistris

  2. Neurosonology and Neurovascular Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, HUG, University Hospital and Medical Faculty of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    Fabienne Perren

  3. Electroneuromyography Unit & Neuromuscular Disorders, HUG, University Hospital and Medical Faculty of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    Michel R. Magistris

Authors
  1. Fabienne Perren
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  2. Michel R. Magistris
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Correspondence to Fabienne Perren.

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Perren, F., Magistris, M.R. Is hemifacial spasm accompanied by hemodynamic changes detectable by ultrasound?. Acta Neurochir 156, 1557–1560 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-014-2132-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-014-2132-7

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