Hemifacial Spasm Associated with Chiari Type I Malformation: Surgical Considerations and Case Report
Arq. bras. neurocir; 39 (2), 2020
Publication year: 2020
Hemifacial spasm (HS) is a movement disorder characterized by paroxysmal and
irregular contractions of the muscles innervated by the facial nerve. Chiari malformation
type I (CM I) is a congenital disease characterized by caudal migration of the
cerebellar tonsils, and surgical decompression of foramen magnum structures has
been used for treatment. The association of HS with CM I is rare, and its pathophysiology
and therapeutics are speculative. There are only a few cases reported in the
literature concerning this association. The decompression of the posterior fossa for the
treatment of CM I has been reported to relieve the symptoms of HS, suggesting a
relation between these diseases. However, the possible complications of posterior
fossa surgery cannot be underrated. We report the case of a 66-year-old patient, in
ambulatory follow-up due to right HS, no longer responding to botulinum toxin
treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the skull revealed compression of
the facial nerve and CM I. The patient underwent surgery for HS by neurovascular
microdecompression of the facial nerve via right lateral suboccipital craniectomy, but
presented significant clinical worsening in the postoperative period even though the
cerebellum edema related to surgical manipulation was mild. Due to the clinical
worsening, the patient underwent a median suboccipital craniectomy with decompression
of the foramenmagnum structures. After this second surgery, the patient had
progressive improvement and was discharged from the hospital for ambulatory care.