Glue-transposition technique for hemifacial spasm involving vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia: a comparative study and...

Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is relatively common among patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS). Vertebral artery (VA)-associated HFS accounts for 10-30% of cases. In microvascular decompression (MVD) for these patients, mobilization of the VA and other offending vessels is challenging, often limiting exposure of the root exit zone (REZ). Glue-transposition has emerged as the primary technique to address this issue. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes and complications associated with glue-transposition through a cohort study and a comprehensive literature review. A retrospective analysis of 164 patients who underwent MVD at Shenzhen Second People's Hospital was conducted, categorizing them into VBD (14 patients) and non-VBD (150 patients) groups. Additionally, a systematic literature search was performed in PubMed up to June 2024, including clinical studies that applied the glue-transposition technique in MVD. The remission rate, complications, and surgical techniques were analyzed in detail. In our cohort, patients in the VBD group had a higher mean age and a higher prevalence of hypertension. Glue-transposition was required in 64.3% of VBD cases. Logistic regression analysis identified hypertension as significantly associated with VBD. The spasm remission rates and complication rates were comparable between VBD and non-VBD groups. The systematic review included 14 studies, of which 10 employed the one-step transposition technique, while four utilized the two-step approach. The included studies reported favorable outcomes (Cohen grade I or II) with the glue-transposition technique, ranging from 84.9 to 100%. The complication rates varied from 0 to 9.5%. Hypertension is an independent risk factor for VBD, which significantly increases the surgical complexity in MVD. Glue-transposition remains the most widely used technique for VA-associated HFS, with fibrin being the most common adhesive. We present the first experience of using cyanoacrylate as an adhesive in our cohort. Both our cohort study and literature review demonstrate that the glue-transposition technique is safe and effective.