Premium
Hemifacial spasm: Evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance tomographic angiography
Author(s) -
Adler Charles H.,
Zimmerman Robert A.,
Savino Peter J.,
Bernardi Bruno,
Bosley Thomas M.,
Sergott Robert C.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410320404
Subject(s) - hemifacial spasm , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , magnetic resonance angiography , radiology , nuclear magnetic resonance , computed tomographic angiography , angiography , nuclear medicine , physics , anatomy , facial nerve
We evaluated 37 patients with hemifacial spasm and 16 age‐matched control patients with other neurological disorders using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, MR angiography, and MR tomographic angiography. MR tomographic angiography is a new technique using computer reconstruction of MR angiographic images to create coronal angiotomes that display tissue and arterial structures on the same image. Twenty‐four of 37 (64.9%) patients with hemifacial spasm had ipsilateral vascular compression of cranial nerve VII or the pons noted by this technique, whereas only 1 of 16 (6.3%) control patients had compression. MR imaging and MR angiography were less sensitive and less specific in evaluating for vascular compression. This study supports vascular compression of cranial nerve VII or the pons as a cause of hemifacial spasm, and demonstrates MR tomographic angiography's value as an excellent, noninvasive technique to demonstrate the compression.