MRA morphologic study of the vertebrobasilar artery system in patients with primary hemifacial spasm

This study assessed the efficacy of 3.0T magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in individuals with primary hemifacial spasm (pHFS) by investigating the relationship between alterations in the morphology of the vertebrobasilar artery system and pHFS.

A comparison was made between pHFS patients and healthy controls with respect to vertebral artery diameter, displacement rate, and other relevant parameters to explore the potential role of morphologic abnormalities in the vertebrobasilar arteries in the pathogenesis of pHFS. Independent t-tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used with statistical significance set at a p < 0.05.

A total of 100 pHFS patients and 150 healthy participants underwent 3.0T MRA scans for this analysis. The right vertebral artery (VA) diameter in the pHFS group was larger than the healthy control (HC) group (2.71 mm vs. 2.47 mm; p < 0.05) and the left VA deviation distance in the pHFS group was greater than the HC group (7.99 mm vs. 5.27 mm; p < 0.05). The basilar artery deviation distance in the pHFS group was greater than the HC group (7.41 mm vs. 4.78 mm; p < 0.05). The VA deviation rates in the pHFS group were significantly higher than the HC group (89% vs. 72% and 96% vs. 84.67%, respectively; p < 0.05). The VA scores on the symptomatic and non-symptomatic sides were significantly different (p < 0.05). VA migration increased with age (p = 0.034, r = 0.225).

The results imply a potential association between morphologic irregularities in the vertebrobasilar arteries and pHFS. Limitations of the study included substantial missing data for displacement measurements (64%-67%), age differences between groups, and selection bias from the surgical population.