BOTULINUM TOXIN TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH HEMIFACIAL SPASM

Hemifacial spasm is nearly always a unilateral disease of the facial m usculature and is characterized by involuntary tonic or clonic cramps that considerably reduce the affected patient's quality of life. In th e past, a number of different conservative and operative therapeutic p rocedures have been applied for the treatment of hemifacial spasm. In many cases these attempts failed to control the disease permanently or resulted in unwanted, sometimes strong, side effects. We report our o wn experiences with botulinum therapy in 29 patients with hemifacial s pasm (78 therapeutic sessions). Tn our patients the mean duration of a n effect after treatment with botulinum toxin was 18.2 weeks. Side eff ects were rare. Our results since 1990 at the University of Gottingen demonstrate that subcutaneous application of toxin from Clostridium bo tulinum to involved facial muscles represents a reliable method for su ccessful treatment of hemifacial spasm.