Synchronous bilateral hemifacial spasm: case-report and literature review

Bilateral hemifacial spasm (biHFS) is an infrequent cranial nerve disorder that causes patients to suffer from severe psychological stress, and there are no reported cases of synchronous biHFS. In this study, a 46-year-old right-handed woman was diagnosed with a synchronous biHFS. After one unilateral microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery, the left facial twitching movements relieved immediately, and the right side twitching movements self-relieved the next day. Although there was a delayed hemorrhage, the patient achieved a satisfactory outcome defined as cessation of the twitching movements without recurrence. Based on the present case and related literature, we speculate that anatomical connections between bilateral facial nuclei and hyperactivity of facial nuclei play important roles in the biHFS, and they may, at least in some cases, be the decisive factors regarding the origin, development, and relief of the consequent contralateral spasm.