[Audio-vestibular functions in patients with hemifacial spasm]

Audio-vestibular functions and its laterality were evaluated preoperatively on the affected side and the non-affected side of 57 patients operated upon to relieve hemifacial spasm (HFS). One patient had hearing impairment and tinnitus on the affected side and showed abrupt high tone sensorineural loss, directional preponderance and ABR abnormalities. On another patient, the latencies for wave III and V from the affected ear were prolonged, while there was no audiovestibular symptoms. However, there was no significant difference in audio-vestibular symptoms, ABR findings, pure tone thresholds and caloric results between the affected ears and the non-affected ears of the remainder. We believe that HFS and the microvascular compression of the eighth cranial nerve are two different diseases.