Intracranial vertebral artery dissection (IVAD) is a potentially life-threatening disease, which usually presents with ischemic stroke or subarachnoid hemorrhage. IVAD presenting with isolated facial pain is rare, and no case with isolated trigeminal neuralgia- (TN-) like facial pain has been reported. Here, we report the case of a 57-year-old male with IVAD who presented with acute isolated TN...

Objective—In microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm, the perforating branches around the facial nerve root exit zone occasionally complicate facial nerve decompression. In this context, the vertebrobasilar configuration was retrospectively correlated with the perforating branches. Methods—Based on vertebral angiography, magnetic resonance angiography, and three dimensional computed to...

Objective: To provide rationale for the clinical application of endoscopic optic nerve decompression based on anatomical and imaging studies. Methods: The anatomy of optic nerve canal and its adjacent structures of 20 facial sides of human cadaver heads were examined by multislice spiral CT scanning and imaging workstations. Anatomical and imaging measurements were compared. Results: The follow...

We used neurointerventional techniques to conduct a functional investigation of the artery responsible for hemifacial spasm in a 48-year-old woman. Insertion of a microcatheter into the posterior inferior cerebellar artery stopped the hemifacial spasm immediately and completely. The artery was verified intraoperatively as the vessel compressing the root exit zone of the facial nerve.

Vascular compression of the facial nerve is a well recognized cause of hemifacial spasm (HFS). In this study, we described the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) techniques used and findings in 34 patients with hemifacial spasm. A vascular abnormality, defined as a vessel seen in close proximity, touching or compressing the facial nerve, ...