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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
Microvascular Decompression: Salient Surgical Principles and Technical Nuances
Published on: July 5, 2011
The value of abnormal muscle response monitoring during microvascular decompression surgery for hemifacial spasm
Ting-Ting Ying1, Shi-Ting Li, Jun Zhong
1Department of Neurosurgery, XinHua Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, The Cranial Nerve Disease Center of Shanghai, 1665 KongJiang Rd, Shanghai 200092, China. cadynj@hotmail.com
Background And Objectives:
Abnormal muscle response (AMR) to the electrical stimulation of a branch of facial nerve is a specific electrophysiological feature of primary hemifacial spasm (HFS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of AMR monitoring during microvascular decompression surgery (MVD), and the correlation between the AMR changes and the clinical outcomes.
Methods:
This study included 241 cases of MVDs. Intraoperative AMR monitoring was performed for each subject. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether the AMR-disappeared or not following decompression of the facial nerve.
Results:
Postoperatively, 229 (95.0%) patients were relieved from the spasm, 215 (93.9%) occurred in the AMR-disappeared group, 14 (6.1%) in the non-AMR-disappeared group. The correlation between intraoperative AMR abolition and HFS relief was statistically significant.
Conclusions:
Intraoperative AMR monitoring was an effective assistant for a successful MVD for the patient with HFS. It is worth being routinely employed during the operation.
