[Medical imaging research on idiopathic hemifacial spasm]

In order to have a medical imaging examination for idiopathic hemifacial spasm before surgery, we designed a new method by using vertebroarterial DSA and vertebroarterial CTA based on an aired cisternapontis, 36 patients were examined since 1989 and the compression of the facial nerve from brain stem to porus acousticus internus was showed clearly in all the cases. The arteries responsible for the compression were cerebellar inferior posterior (55.6%), cerebellar inferior anterior (44.4%), auditory internus (25.0%) and vertebroarterial (11.1%), 36% of all the cases had more than one responsible arteries, 22.2% cases had only one compression point, 38.9% had two points, 25.0% had 3 and 13.9% had more. 85.7% of the compression points located in the root zone and 14.3% near the porus acousticus internus. 24 cases were treated with decompression surgery, it indicated that the compression conditions just met the medical imaging examinationg results. After surgery the symptom disappeared in 23 cases and remarkably released in one case with no death case. We believed that this method might be helpful to idiopathic hemifacial spasm decompression surgery and other surgeries in the CP angle.