[Comparative study of pre- and postoperative three-dimensional contrast-enhanced MRI with surgical finding in...

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of three-dimensional (3D) contrast-enhanced MRI in patients with hemifacial spasm. We performed preoperative MRI in 36 patients in whom microvascular decompression (MVD) was performed and postoperative MRI in 29. All MRI studies were obtained with a 1.5T MRI system using the spoiled GRASS (SPGR) method. In all patients, neurovascular compression of the facial nerve could be detected prior to MVD, and the rate of accuracy was 91.7%. Postoperative 3D-MRI was useful in confirming of displacement of the offending vessels and assessing of its severity.