Small volume of the posterior cranial fossa and arterial hypertension are risk factors of hemifacial spasm

Rudzińska, Monika; Wójcik-Pędziwiatr, Magdalena; Malec, Michalina; Grabska, Natalia; Hartel, Marcin; Szczudlik, Andrzej

doi:10.1016/j.pjnns.2014.09.006

Cited by 17 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…In addition, in patients with hypertension but no HFS, we also need to consider that HFS may develop. Although hypertension is not a clear risk factor for HFS, a study by Rudzinska et al found that an increased duration of arterial hypertension was a significant risk factor for HFS, suggesting a possible etiologic link 11 . Perren F et al 12 found a relationship between hemodynamic changes in the vessels most frequently associated with HFS and the side of the HFS and arterial hypertension, was found in 58% of their patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While publication bias may arise from only using publicly available data, we ensured that we screened through all the abstracts, even those from journals which were not publicly available, and found that none of these studies were relevant to our topic. 2 papers 11 18 were subsequently further excluded since their measure of hypertension was indirect. Hence, data from 6 papers were eventually pooled together and analysed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Revisiting the link between hypertension and hemifacial spasm

Leong

Chan

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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The relationship between hypertension and hemifacial spasm (HFS) has been debated. Microvascular decompression surgery is effective in some HFS patients with uncontrolled hypertension. To address current gaps in knowledge, we conducted a meta-analysis of case-control studies that have examined the prevalence of hypertension in HFS patients compared to non-HFS controls. We also evaluated the implications and limitations of the pooled studies. We identified 62 studies from PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scholar.google.com and six studies that fit our inclusion criteria were included. A random-effects model was used to derive the pooled estimate of the Odds Ratio. The data was plotted on a Forest plot. A pooled analysis involving 51585 subjects, 549 cases, 720 neurological controls and 50316 controls from the general population, showed that HFS patients had a higher chance of developing hypertension (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = (1.12, 2.31), p-value <0.001). The prevalence of hypertension was higher in HFS patients as compared to non-HFS patients. This meta-analysis highlights a positive correlation between hypertension and HFS. Blood pressure should be closely monitored during the follow-up of HFS patients. Preliminary links between ventrolateral medullary (VLM) compression and HFS should be further evaluated in future studies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the link between hypertension and hemifacial spasm

Leong

Chan

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…Patients with HFS suffer from facial muscle spasms which can impact social interaction with others and their quality of life 1) . The most common cause of HFS is a neurovascular conflict between the artery and the facial nerve at the root entry zone of the brainstem 13) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conformation of the Posterior Fossa of the Skull: A Predisposing Factor in Patients with Hemifacial Spasm

Kang

Choi

Lee

et al. 2020

Nerve

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Hemifacial spasm (HFS) can be caused by vascular compression of the facial nerve at the root entry zone in the brain stem. The study aims to analyze the length and volume of the posterior cranial fossa (PCF) and the angle of skull flatness to evaluate any possible contribution of morphological characteristics to the development of neurovascular compression leading to HFS. Methods: We enrolled 30 patients with HFS and matched them by age and sex to controls. Three-dimensional volumetric analyses of the PCF were performed using magnetic resonance imaging. We measured the angle and approximate volume of the PCF using the ellipsoid method. Results: The mean volume of the PCF in patients with HFS was significantly lower (220.2±24.9 vs. 243.1±31.2; p=0.003) than in controls. In addition, the mean angle of the PCF of patients with HFS was smaller than that of controls (100.7±6.0 vs. 106.5±7.0; p=0.001). Several clinical factors were investigated, and there were significant associations between PCF volume and hypertension. Hypertension is more common in the HFS patient group than in the control group (18/30 [60.0%] vs. 10/30 [33.3 %]; p=0.038). Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with HFS can be characterized by flatness of the skull and small volume of the PCF. These structural differences may play a role in neurovascular compression in patients with HFS.

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