PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Deleu, Dirk
AU  - Mesraoua, Boulenouar
TI  - Hemifacial spasm resulting from vertebral artery dolichoectasia
DP  - 2005 Oct 01
TA  - Neurosciences Journal
PG  - 304--306
VI  - 10
IP  - 4
4099  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/10/4/304.short
4100  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/10/4/304.full
SO  - Neurosciences (Riyadh)2005 Oct 01; 10
AB  - A 32-year-old man presented with left hemifacial spasm. Neurophysiological findings revealed an absent ipsilateral R1 on blink reflex. An MRI showed a dolichoectatic left vertebral artery impinging on the root exit zone of the left facial nerve. Botulinum toxin infections relieved the manifestations of hemifacial spasm. This case demonstrates that MRI/MRA is an essential part of the work-up for hemifacial spasm, and shows that in accordance with the literature, vertebral dolichoectasia is an uncommon cause of hemifacial spasm.