Objective: To find out the etiopathogenesis of hemifacial spasm, and to research the principles and methods of surgical treatment.
Method: The micro-surgical relationships between facial nerve and adjacent vessels were examined in 30 adults cadavers. One hundred and twenty cases of hemifacial spasm were treated through posterior fossa microsurgery, twenty of which received microvascular decompression, sixty-eight by combing of facial nerve, and thirty-two by both microvascular decompression and combing.
Result: Forty-one out of the 60 facial nerves in 30 adults cadavers were observed to have been in touch with arteries for 42 times,accounting for 68.3% of the cases. In 120 operations, 56 facial nerves were found to be compressed or distorted by the arteries. One hundred and twenty cases were followed up for 3 years. Five recurrent cases were found in 20 cases operated by microvascular decompression, 10 recurrent cases in 68 cases operated by combing of facial nerve and 2 recurrent cases in 32 cases operated by both microvascular decompression and combing.
Conclusion: Vascular compression is a cause of the hemifacial spasm, but not the only one. This paper pointed out the importance of selecting suitable treatment for the patient individually.