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Updated: Jul 5, 2025

Optic Nerve Transection: A Model of Adult Neuron Apoptosis in the Central Nervous System
Published on: May 12, 2011
Unilateral periocular spasm
1Clay Walker practices in family medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Ariz., and is an adjunct faculty member in the PA programs at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., Rush University in Chicago, Ill., A.T. Still University in Mesa, Ariz., and Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H. The author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Abstract:
Hemifacial spasm is an uncontrollable, recurrent facial muscular contraction that typically occurs on one side of the face, cannot be suppressed, and can last the entire day and during sleep. The most common underlying cause of facial nerve compression is an enlarged or abnormal tracking blood vessel at the brainstem level. Clinical diagnoses are frequently based on a patient's medical history and physical examination. Before deciding on a course of action, however, an electromyogram and MRI are performed to determine the underlying cause. Due to its high effectiveness (success rates of 85% to 95%) and low frequency of adverse reactions, botulinum toxin is the preferred therapy for hemifacial spasm and can provide transient symptomatic alleviation. Surgical microvascular decompression is a therapeutic approach that targets the underlying cause of this condition and has an average success rate of 85%.
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