BOTULINUM TOXIN - PREFERRED TREATMENT FOR HEMIFACIAL SPASM

This paper retrospectively analyses the clinical data of 65 consecutiv e cases of hemifacial spasm. A benign etiology was clinically evident in the majority of cases. Neuroradiologic investigation ruled out seri ous intracranial pathology in atypical cases. Trials of oral medicatio n in 26 patients were consistently unsuccessful. Fifty-one patients ha d repeated lid and facial muscle injections of botulinum toxin during a period of 8 years. The mean duration of effective relief from spasm following an initial treatment was 18.9 weeks. This effect did not dim inish with repeated injections.