Facial Nerve Spasm?

Hemifacial spasm (hemifacial spasm)

Hemifacial spasm, also known as hemifacial spasm or hemifacial spasm, refers to paroxysmal, involuntary, irregular muscle convulsions on one side of the face, without other positive signs of nervous system damage. The cause is unknown.

Onset of middle-aged women, often onset for the lower eyelid of the orbicularis orbicularis muscle paroxysmal slight convulsions, after gradually to one side of the facial expansion, with the most obvious horn muscle convulsions. Convulsions vary in degree. They get worse when nervous, emotional or tired, and disappear when quiet or sleeping. In a few severe cases, facial spasms may involve the entire side of the facial muscle. Convulsions are more limited to one side, bilateral is rare.

The disease is chronic progressive development, generally not spontaneous remission, some patients in the late stage of the affected side facial muscle paralysis and atrophy, convulsions also stopped. In the early stages of the disease, facial muscle spasms limited to the orbicularis oculi should be distinguished from functional eyelid muscle spasms, which do not extend down the face and are often bilateral. When facial muscle convulsions are accompanied by other cranial nerve damage, or limb dysfunction, or involuntary limb movements, intracranial lesions should be considered and a hospital diagnosis and treatment is required.

Hemifacial spasm is mainly treated with drugs, phenytoin sodium, librium, diazepam, Lumina and so on can be selected. And with physical therapy. Mild cases can be slightly relieved by treatment. In severe cases, closed surgical treatment of facial nerve can be used when drug therapy is ineffective.

How to treat hemifacial spasm?

The treatment of hemifacial spasm, because of unknown etiology, lack of specific therapy. At present, the commonly used clinical methods are:

(1) Sedatives, antipsychotic drugs and antiepileptic drugs are often combined in the early stage. Drugs such as Diazepam, Belladonna, phenytoin, carbamazepine and analgesidine can be used. At the same time with acupuncture (selected points: Dicang, Bucci, Yifeng, Hegu, etc., strong stimulation, leave the needle for 20 minutes), infrared, ultraviolet, ultrashort wave physiotherapy, etc., is expected to alleviate the symptoms of mild patients.

(2) Facial nerve block: 0.5ml of 80% alcohol was injected into the area around the facial nerve stem below the styroemulsion foramina to block its conduction function and relieve spasm. It may recur 2 ~ 3 years later, but the degree will be significantly reduced, and can be repeated injection. Block therapy has the advantages of small damage and simple operation, but its disadvantages are that it cannot avoid recurrence and cannot predict the duration and degree of facial paralysis or spasm. After recurrence, it can be used repeatedly, but the effect is poor because of scar.

(3) Surgical treatment: electrocoagulation of facial nerve, decompression of internal temporal bone facial nerve, neurotomy, facial nerve decompression combined with nerve cutting and electrocoagulation, etc.