Validation of a short disease specific quality of life scale for hemifacial spasm: correlation with SF-36

Effectiveness of 0.3% Hyaluronic Acid Eye Drops for Benign Essential Blepharospasm and Hemifacial Spasm with Botulinum Toxin-induced Dry Eye

Background

This study evaluates the effectiveness of 0.3% hyaluronic acid (HA) eye drops in patients receiving concurrent botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections for benign essential blepharospasm (BEB) or hemifacial spasm (HFS).

Methods

This randomized controlled cross-over trial study involved 14 patients with BEB and 33 patients with HFS randomized into two groups (early treatment and deferred treatment) for 3 months of treatment with 0.3% HA eye drops. Data collected at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months included Blepharospasm Severity Scale (BSS) score in patients with BEB; Samsung Medical Class Grading Scale score in patients with HFS; and dry eye symptoms, lower eyelid tear meniscus height (TMH), tear breakup time (TBUT), and corneal fluorescein staining in both groups.

Results

After 3 months of 0.3% HA instillation, patients with BEB in both groups showed significant improvement in BSS, TMH, TBUT, and the amelioration of subjective dry eye symptoms and corneal staining (P < 0.05). However, discontinuation of 0.3% HA eye drops worsened BSS, TMH, and TBUT. Patients with HFS also experienced significant improvement in Samsung Medical Class score, subjective dry eye symptoms, and objective corneal findings (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Treatment with 0.3% HA eye drops led to significant improvement in spasm severity, and dry eye parameters, after 3 months of instillation in patients with BEB or HFS during concurrent treatment with BoNT injections. The 0.3% HA eye drops were safe and might serve as an add-on treatment for symptom improvement.

[Quality of life in patients with hemifacial spasm after microvascular decompression and botulinum toxin therapy]

To date, microvascular decompression (MVD) and botulinum therapy (BT) confirm own efficacy in the treatment of hemifacial spasm (HFS). Quality of life (QOL) suffers first of all in these patients. Therefore, the dynamics of QOL indicators determines postoperative outcomes. Various researchers have proposed specialized scales for assessing QoL in HPS patients (HFS-7, HFS-8, HFS-30).

OBJECTIVE

To analyze QOL in patients with HPS before and after MVD and BT including HFS-7 score and regression of HFS.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We analyzed data of patients (n=80) divided into two groups: group I - MVD of the facial nerve (n=66), group II - BT (n=14). Mean age of patients was 52.4 (range 28-76) and 58.1 years (range 23-73), respectively. QOL was assessed using a questionnaire enrolling clinical and anamnestic data, as well as HFS-7 scale. Clinical severity of HFS and effect on daily activity were assessed using the Tan scale. We analyzed the results of MVD and BT considering clinical improvement (regression of spasm) and HFS-7 score. A four-level gradation of clinical regression of spasm was used.

RESULTS

Patients with mild course of disease and higher QOL prefer BT. In our sample, 3 (21%) patients from the 2nd group preferred surgery a year after BT, and 13 (20%) patients from the 1st group had previously undergone BT in other hospitals. Changes in HFS-7 score before and after treatment were significant in both groups (p<0.005, t-test). Spearman's coefficient (R= -0.66) shows the correlation between clinical effect and HFS-7 score.

CONCLUSION

MVD and BT significantly improve QOL in patients suffering from HFS. Patients with less severe hemispasm prefer BT, but conversion to surgery is possible as disease progresses. Both treatment methods should be available for HFS patients. Treatment outcomes should be assessed using specialized scales designed for HFS.

Facial Nerve Massage for the Treatment of Hemifacial Spasm Refractory to Microvascular Decompression: Outcomes and Complications

BACKGROUND

After microvascular decompression (MVD) for hemifacial spasm (HFS), a minority of patients realize little to no relief of spasms. In some patients, the absence of relief of spasms results from incomplete or inadequate decompression of vascular compression of the facial nerve, and these patients represent excellent candidates for repeat MVD. However, in other patients, repeat MVD is not appropriate because adequate decompression and resolution of neurovascular compression, as determined by postoperative high-resolution MRI, was achieved with the initial operation.

OBJECTIVE

To present a cohort of patients with a history of HFS refractory to MVD, with no evidence of neurovascular compression on postoperative MRI, who underwent facial nerve massage (FNM) in the posterior fossa in an attempt to relieve spasms.

METHODS

Thirteen patients with a history of incomplete relief of spasms after technically adequate MVD surgery for hemifacial spasm underwent FNM. Immediate and long-term degree of spasm relief and complications after FNM were documented through in-person or telemedicine interview.

RESULTS

At follow-up after FNM, 7 of 12 patients (58.3%) reported complete spasm relief (grade I), 2 of 12 patients (16.7%) reported &gt;75% spasm relief (grade II), 0 patient (0%) reported &gt;50% spasm relief (grade III), 3 of 12 (25.0%) patients reported &lt;50% spasm relief (grade IV), and 1 patient was lost to follow-up. One patient experienced a delayed facial paresis, and another patient experienced high-frequency hearing loss.

CONCLUSION

After FNM, durable and, at least, partial relief of spasms with a relatively low complication rate was observed in most patients with HFS with incomplete relief of spasms after technically adequate prior MVD.

Altered Functional Connectivity and Sensory Processing in Blepharospasm and Hemifacial Spasm: Coexistence and Difference

Background: Blepharospasm (BSP) and hemifacial spasm (HFS) are both facial hyperkinesia however BSP is thought to be caused by maladaptation in multiple brain regions in contrast to the peripherally induced cause in HFS. Plausible coexisting pathophysiologies between these two distinct diseases have been proposed.

Objectives: In this study, we compared brain resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) and quantitative thermal test (QTT) results between patients with BSP, HFS and heathy controls (HCs).

Methods: This study enrolled 12 patients with BSP, 11 patients with HFS, and 15 HCs. All subjects received serial neuropsychiatric evaluations, questionnaires determining disease severity and functional impairment, QTT, and resting state functional MRI. Image data were acquired using seed-based analyses using the CONN toolbox.

Results: A higher cold detection threshold was found in the BSP and HFS patients compared to the HCs. The BSP and HFS patients had higher rsFC between the anterior cerebellum network and left occipital regions compared to the HCs. In all subjects, impaired cold detection threshold in the QTT of lower extremities had a correlation with higher rsFC between the anterior cerebellar network and left lingual gyrus. Compared to the HCs, increased rsFC in right postcentral gyrus in the BSP patients and decreased rsFC in the right amygdala and frontal orbital cortex in the HFS subjects were revealed when the anterior cerebellar network was used as seed.

Conclusions: Dysfunction of sensory processing detected by the QTT is found in the BSP and HSP patients. Altered functional connectivity between the anterior cerebellar network and left occipital region, especially the Brodmann area 19, may indicate the possibility of shared pathophysiology among BSP, HFS, and impaired cold detection threshold. Further large-scale longitudinal study is needed for testing this theory in the future.

Botulinum Toxin for the Treatment of Hemifacial Spasm: An Update on Clinical Studies

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a movement disorder characterized by involuntary contractions of the facial muscles innervated by the seventh cranial nerve. Generally, it is associated with a poor quality of life due to social embarrassment and can lead to functional blindness. Moreover, it is a chronic condition, and spontaneous recovery is rare. Intramuscular injections of Botulinum Toxin (BoNT) are routinely used as HFS treatment.

METHODS

We reviewed published articles between 1991 and 2021 regarding the effectiveness and safety of BoNT in HFS as well as any reported differences among BoNT formulations.

RESULTS

The efficacy of BoNT for HFS treatment ranged from 73% to 98.4%. The mean duration of the effect was around 12 weeks. Effectiveness did not decrease over time. Adverse effects were usually mild and transient. The efficacy and tolerability of the different preparations appeared to be similar. Among the studies, dosage, injected muscles, intervals of treatment, and rating scales were variable, thus leading to challenges in comparing the results.

CONCLUSIONS

BoNT was the treatment of choice for HFS due to its efficacy and safety profile. Further studies are needed to investigate the factors that influence the outcome, including the optimal timing of treatment, injection techniques, dosage, and the best selection criteria for formulations.

Validation of a new hemifacial spasm grading questionnaire (HFS score) assessing clinical and quality of life parameters

Validation of the new hemifacial spasm (HFS) questionnaire “HFS score” that captures both clinical (HFS clinical) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) parameters (HFS subjective) in one tool and comparison with a global HRQOL questionnaire. Cross sectional, prospective validation study including 143 subjects (62 HFS patients and 81 healthy volunteers) from the University Eye Hospital Bonn. Patients were interviewed with the new HFS score and the SF-12 questionnaire prior to and 3 weeks after Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) injection. All HRQOL-related questions (HFS subjective) were answered on a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (no complaints) to 100% (maximum complaints) by the patients themselves. Reproducibility was tested in a study extension with 10 patients by repeat interviews (telephone/personal). The new HFS score questionnaire provided a reliable clinical assessment and demonstrated that BoNT-A therapy significantly reduced frequency and severity of eye and cheek spasms (p < 0.001; Wilcoxon test). Relevant aspects of HRQOL of HFS patients were assessed with high accuracy and sensitivity. Significant improvements were achieved after BoNT-A injection in five out of eight HRQOL parameters (p ≤ 0.02; Wilcoxon test). Cronbach’s alpha of 0.818 demonstrated good internal consistency. Telephone survey provided comparable results to personal interviews. This new sensitive and specific HFS score seems a reliable instrument to monitor BoNT therapy and customize it to the needs of the individual HFS patient—in clinical studies and daily clinical practice.

Quality of life after hemifacial spasm surgery: French versions of the HFS-8 and HFS-30 questionnaires

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to assess quality of life before and after surgery for hemifacial spasm, in order to validate two specific quality of life scales translated in French. Surgical results and complications were reported.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Twenty-three patients with hemifacial spasm treated by microvascular decompression were retrospectively included. The HFS-8 and HFS-30 quality of life scales were translated from English into French using a forward-backward method and implemented on patients at least one year after surgery.

RESULTS

Median HFS-8 and HFS-30 values were respectively 16±12.5 (range: 8-20.5) and 38±38.5 (range: 23-61.5) before surgery and 0.5±4.5 (range: 0-4.5) and 5±17.5 (range: 1-18.5) after surgery, showing significant improvement in quality of life (P<0.001). The internal consistency of both scales was excellent (Cronbach's alpha>0.9), and they were significantly correlated (Pearson coefficient=0.95; 95% CI [0.91; 0.98]; P<0.0001). Success rates were 83% and 91%, respectively, after primary and revision surgeries. Complications were transient with minor consequences in 80% of cases, but could impact quality of life when lasting.

CONCLUSIONS

These results support the validity of the French versions of HFS-8 and HFS-30. Microvascular decompression is a safe and effective treatment for hemifacial spasm, and these scales are reliable tools to assess postoperative quality of life.

The Five-Year Prospective Study of Quality of Life in Hemifacial Spasm Treated with Abo-Botulinum Toxin A

This study aimed to determine the long-term quality of life (QoL) in hemifacial spasm (HFS) patients after treating with Abo-botulinum toxin A (Abo-BTX). The study assessed the disease-specific QoL (hemifacial spasm questionnaire 30 items; HFS 30), the involuntary movements (abnormal involuntary movement scale; AIMS), general health QoL (Medical Outcomes 36-Item Short Form Health Survey; SF-36), and Depression (the Center of Epidemiologic Studies-Depression questionnaire; CES-D). A total of 74 HFS patients were enrolled from 2012 to 2017. The disease-specific QoL; involuntary movements; and the general health domain of SF 36 were significantly improved after injections of Abo-BTX A in the first few years (p < 0.04), but significantly decreased at the fifth year of treatment without significant clinical resistance observed (p < 0.001). Only the general health domain of SF 36 showed persistent improvement over five years (p = 0.02). In summary, Abo-BTX A can improved quality of life in the first few years; however only the general health domain of SF-36 showed significant improvement over five years (p = 0.02). No clinical resistance was observed.

Nonmalignant Oral Disease--Specific Dental Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Adult Patients: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

Dental patient-reported outcome measures (dPROMs) can be differentiated into outcome measures for all oral diseases, so-called disease-generic dPROMs, and measures for specific oral diseases, so-called disease-specific dPROMs. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the psychometrically validated nonmalignant disease-specific dPROMs for adult patients and the dental patient-reported outcomes (dPROs) they measure.

METHODS

This systematic review searched Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane databases along with hand searching, through July 28, 2020, to identify original articles of English language, multi-item dPROMs for adult dental patients with a specific oral disease, condition, or oral manifestations of systemic diseases. We analyzed the questionnaires for content commonalities, the reference or recall period, and the dimensionality.

RESULTS

We retrieved 4228 unique references and identified 34 questionnaires; of which, 31 questionnaires captured impacts from oral diseases or conditions and three from oral manifestations of systemic diseases. All questionnaires together contained 102 dPROMs, measuring 75 dPROs. Oral health-related quality of life was a broader dPRO, which was measured by 24 dPROMs. The 74 narrower dPROs were measured by 78 dPROMs. The dPRO names suggested that essentially four dPROs were measured: Oral Function (N = 19), Orofacial Pain (N = 7), Orofacial Appearance (N = 11), and Psychosocial Impact (N = 37).

CONCLUSIONS

Many psychometrically validated tools (N = 102) are available to measure the impact of specific nonmalignant oral disease on patients. While these tools intend to measure the particular patient-perceived impact profile of the oral disease, all tools measure in essence only four, more general concepts - the dimensions of oral health-related quality of life.

Efficacy and Complications of Microsurgical Neurovascular Decompression in 55 Patients With Hemifacial Spasm

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the efficacy and complications of microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Regional hospital.

METHODS

Fifty-five patients with hemifacial spasm were treated by microvascular decompression. All patients with hemifacial spasm who underwent retrosigmoid microvascular decompression from May 2004 to January 2017 were included. Patients with no conflict on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging or with an alternate diagnosis were excluded.

RESULTS

The overall cure rate was 83.64%, with an average follow-up of 7.4 years. A left-sided hemifacial spasm was a healing-promoting factor (P = .01). The median healing was 0.03 months, and the mean was 6 months. The efficacy remained high in the medium term (88% at 3 years), long term (90.24% at 5 years), and very long term (90.48% at 8 years). The recurrence rate was 9.8%. Favorable criteria included a right-sided spasm (P = .01) and an average age of 62 years (P = .03). The specific complications were permanent facial palsy (3.63%), unilateral deafness (5.45%), and hearing loss (3.63%). No death was reported. Regarding the quality of life of the patients, 94.7% had a modified HFS-8 postoperative score of 0 (Hemifacial Spasm 8 Quality of Life Scale).

CONCLUSION

Microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm is an effective and lasting technique. Its low rate of complications and the considerable quality-of-life improvement should lead surgeons to propose it to patients as soon as botulinum toxin injections become ineffective or poorly tolerated.

Utilization of 3D imaging reconstructions and assessment of symptom-free survival after microvascular decompression of the facial nerve in hemifacial spasm

OBJECTIVE

Hemifacial spasm (HFS), largely caused by neurovascular compression (NVC) of the facial nerve, is a rare condition characterized by paroxysmal, unilateral, involuntary contraction of facial muscles. It has long been suggested that these symptoms are due to compression at the transition zone of the facial nerve. The aim of this study was to examine symptom-free survival and long-term quality of life (QOL) in HFS patients who underwent microvascular decompression (MVD). A secondary aim was to examine the benefit of utilizing fused MRI and MRA post hoc 3D reconstructions to better characterize compression location at the facial nerve root exit zone (fREZ).

METHODS

The authors retrospectively analyzed patients with HFS who underwent MVD at a single institution, combined with a modified HFS-7 telephone questionnaire. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to determine event-free survival, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare pre- and postoperative HFS-7 scores.

RESULTS

Thirty-five patients underwent MVD for HFS between 2002 and 2018 with subsequent 3D reconstructions of preoperative images. The telephone questionnaire response rate was 71% (25/35). If patients could not be reached by telephone, then the last clinic follow-up date was recorded and any recurrence noted. Twenty-four patients (69%) were symptom free at longest follow-up. The mean length of follow-up was 2.4 years (1 month to 8 years). The mean symptom-free survival time was 44.9 ± 5.8 months, and the average symptom-control survival was 69.1 ± 4.9 months. Four patients (11%) experienced full recurrence. Median HFS-7 scores were reduced by 18 points after surgery (Z = -4.013, p < 0.0001). Three-dimensional reconstructed images demonstrated that NVC most commonly occurred at the attached segment (74%, 26/35) of the facial nerve within the fREZ and least commonly occurred at the traditionally implicated transition zone (6%, 2/35).

CONCLUSIONS

MVD is a safe and effective treatment that significantly improves QOL measures for patients with HFS. The vast majority of patients (31/35, 89%) were symptom free or reported only mild symptoms at longest follow-up. Symptom recurrence, if it occurred, was within the first 2 years of surgery, which has important implications for patient expectations and informed consent. Three-dimensional image reconstruction analysis determined that culprit compression most commonly occurs proximally along the brainstem at the attached segment. The success of this procedure is dependent on recognizing this pattern and decompressing appropriately. Three-dimensional reconstructions were found to provide much clearer characterization of this area than traditional preoperative imaging. Therefore, the authors suggest that use of these reconstructions in the preoperative setting has the potential to help identify appropriate surgical candidates, guide operative planning, and thus improve outcome in patients with HFS.

Quality of life instruments used in problem gambling studies: A systematic review and a meta-analysis

The purpose of this systematic review was to identify the instruments used in original articles to measure quality of life (QOL) or health-related QOL (HRQOL) in gambling-disorder patients and to assess their suitability. The systematic literature search to identify QOL/HRQOL instruments used among gambling-disorder patients was performed in PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO databases up to November 2018. A meta-analysis was performed to study the effect size of the QOL/HRQOL instruments and gambling outcomes after an intervention. Thirty-five studies were included. Seven types of instruments aiming at measuring QOL/HRQOL were identified. These instruments explored twenty-six domains. The instruments used were not properly validated in the studies. Most of the clinical trials reported a significant difference in QOL/HRQOL between pre- and post-intervention. These results were concordant with gambling outcomes but had a smaller effect size than gambling outcomes. The currently used general instruments are efficient to measure a significant change after an intervention but might not evaluate specific areas of health related QOL impacted by gambling disorders.

Validation of the Hemifacial Spasm Grading Scale: a clinical tool for hemifacial spasm

BACKGROUND

To create an objective rating tool for hemifacial spasm (HFS) and validate it on a cohort of patients.

METHODS

A panel of movement disorders specialists elaborated, through the Delphi method, the Hemifacial Spasm Grading Scale (HSGS). The validity of the scale was tested in a longitudinal, prospective observational study, with standardized video recording protocol before and after botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) treatment. The video recordings obtained from each patient were then independently assessed with HSGS by three blinded raters. The scale was compared to patient-reported HFS-7 scale and to the clinical grading of spasm intensity scale.

RESULTS

Intra-rater reproducibility ranged between ICC 0.73 (95% CI = 0.54-0.86) and 0.83 (0.68-0.92) and inter-rater reproducibility between 0.62 (95% CI = 0.44-0.77) and 0.82 (0.69-0.90). HSGS scores correlated with clinical grading of spasm intensity scale scores, but not with HFS-7. HSGS confirmed BoNT efficacy, with scores lowering at 1 month from treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

HSGS represents an objective, quick and reliable scale for the assessment of HFS, and might be useful to monitor BoNT treatment efficacy over time.

Evaluation of stigmatization in hemifacial spasm and quality of life before and after botulinum toxin treatment

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a chronic disease that is characterized by involuntary tonic and clonic contractions of the muscles innervated by the ipsilateral facial nerve. Botulinum toxin (BTX) is the most effective medical treatment of this condition. The aim of our study was to evaluate stigma among patients diagnosed with HFS and to search quality of life and depression before and after BTX injection. Seven self-rating items (HFS-7) and seven questions related to stigmatization were administered to HFS patients. Participants also answered SF-36 health outcome measure and Beck depression inventory before and 4 weeks after the routine BTX injection. The severity of HFS was graded based on a five-point scale. Descriptive statistics and paired t test were applied. The level of significance was set at α = 0.05. Fourty HFS patients were prospectively included. Twenty-one (%52.5) were female and nineteen were male (47.5%) with a mean age of 57.1 (SD = 12.13; min-max = 27-78). 60% (n: 24) of patients were feeling themselves different from people without HFS. Beck depression inventory scores improved after BTX injection significantly (p < 0.05). All domains of SF-36 showed positive improvement after BTX injections. The improvement in general health perception, physical functioning, and vitality was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Although more than half of the patients felt themselves different from people without HFS, treatment of HFS with BTX significantly improved mental health and physical health, and depressive symptoms of the patients.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Neurosurgery: A Review of the Current Literature

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) play an important role in the evaluation of health outcomes, quality of life, and satisfaction, and have been successfully utilized in many areas of clinical medicine and surgical practice. The prevalence of PROMs in neurosurgery is not known.

OBJECTIVE

To review the PROMs that have been utilized in the published neurosurgery literature to date.

METHODS

Articles were searched in MEDLINE, EMBASE, HMIC Health Management Information Consortium, PsycARTICLES, and PsycINFO using search terms related to neurosurgery and PROMs, published from 1806 to August 2016. A total of 268 articles were identified that were stratified by the inclusion and exclusion criteria leading to a total of 137 articles. Twenty-six PROMs, involving both adult and pediatric populations, were identified.

RESULTS

A large number of generic and disease-specific PROMs are used in the neurosurgical literature. Generic PROMs are usually nonspecific measures of health status. Disease-specific PROMs may not address issues relevant to neurosurgical procedures. There are very few neurosurgery-specific PROMs that take into account the impact of a neurosurgical procedure on a specific condition.

CONCLUSION

PROMs that currently feature in the neurosurgical literature may not address the specific outcomes relevant to neurosurgical practice. There is an emergent need for generic and disease-specific PROMs to be validated in neurosurgical patients and neurosurgery-specific PROMs developed to address unmet needs of patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures.

Severe Hemifacial Spasm is a Predictor of Severe Indentation and Facial Palsy after Microdecompression Surgery

Background and Purpose

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is mostly caused by the compression of the facial nerve by cerebral vessels, but the significance of spasm severity remains unclear. We investigated the clinical significance of spasm severity in patients with HFS who underwent microvascular decompression (MVD).

Methods

We enrolled 636 patients with HFS who underwent MVD between May 2010 and December 2013 at Samsung Medical Center (SMC), Seoul, Korea. Subjects were divided into two groups based on spasm severity: severe (SMC grade 3 or 4) and mild (SMC grade 1 or 2). We compared demographic, clinical, and surgical data between these two groups.

Results

The severe-spasm group was older and had a longer disease duration at the time of MVD compared to the mild-spasm group. Additionally, hypertension and diabetes mellitus were more common in the severe-spasm group than in the mild-spasm group. Regarding surgical findings, there were more patients with multiple offending vessels and more-severe indentations in the severe-spasm group than in the mild-spasm group. Even though the surgical outcomes did not differ, the incidence of delayed facial palsy after MVD was higher in the severe-spasm group than in the mild-spasm group. Logistic regression analysis showed that severe-spasm was correlated with longer disease duration, hypertension, severe indentation, multiple offending vessels, and delayed facial palsy after MVD.

Conclusions

Spasm severity does not predict surgical outcomes, but it can be used as a marker of pathologic compression in MVD for HFS, and be considered as a predictor of delayed facial palsy after MVD.

Long-term surgical results in microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm: efficacy, morbidity and quality of life

Hemifacial spasm is a condition that may severely reduce patients' quality of life. Microvascular decompression is the neurosurgical treatment of choice. The objective of this work was to describe the efficacy and morbidity of microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm, evaluate the long-term efficacy on the quality of life and investigate prognostic factors for failure of the procedure. A retrospective study of 446 cases of hemifacial spasm treated by 511 retrosigmoid microvascular decompression over 22 years was conducted. Epidemiological, clinical and imaging findings, treatment modalities and outcomes of patients with pre- and postoperative HSF-8 quality of life questionnaire were studied. Success rate was 82% after first surgery and 91.6% after revision surgery. A low rate of perioperative morbidity was found. Facial palsy was mostly transient (5.5% transient and 0.2% permanent) and cochleovestibular deficit was seen in 4.8% of patients. Revision surgery increased nervous lesions (10.6% to 20.7%). Mean quality of life scores were significantly improved from 18 to 2 over 32, evaluated 7.3 years after surgery. Predictive factors of surgical failure were single conflicts (p = 0.041), atypical vasculo-nervous conflicts involving other vessel than postero-inferior cerebellar artery (p = 0.036), such as vein (p = 0.045), and other compression sites than root exit zone (p = 0.027). Retrosigmoid microvascular decompression is a safe and effective treatment of hemifacial spasm. Revision surgery is not to be excluded in case of failure, but does place patients at risk for more complications. Quality of life is improved in the long-term, indicating objective and subjective satisfaction.

An investigation into quality of life improvement in patients undergoing microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm

OBJECTIVE Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a movement disorder characterized by involuntary spasms of the facial muscles, and it can negatively impact quality of life (QOL). This retrospective study and systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the QOL in patients with HFS following intervention with microvascular decompression (MVD) and botulinum toxin (BT). METHODS In the retrospective analysis, a QOL questionnaire was administered to all patients undergoing MVD performed by a single surgeon. The QOL questionnaire included unique questions developed based on the authors' experience with HFS patients in addition to the health-related QOL HFS-8 questionnaire. The authors also report on a systematic review of the English literature providing outcomes and complications in patients with HFS undergoing treatment with either MVD or BT. RESULTS Regarding the retrospective analysis, 242 of 331 patients completed the questionnaire. The mean score of the 10 QOL questions improved from 22.78 (SD 9.83) to 2.17 (SD 5.75) following MVD (p < 0.001). There was significant improvement across all subscales of the questionnaire between pre- and postoperative responses (p < 0.001). Regarding the systematic review, it is reported that approximately 90% of patients undergoing MVD for HFS experience a complete recovery from symptoms, whereas the mean peak improvement of symptoms following treatment with BT is 77%. Furthermore, patients undergoing MVD reported a greater improvement in the mean supplemental index of QOL as compared with patients receiving BT therapy. CONCLUSIONS Microvascular decompression offers a significant improvement in QOL in well-selected patients suffering from HFS, and may offer an increased benefit for QOL over BT injections.

Validity and reliability of Thai version of the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score in patients with arthritis of the foot and ankle

BACKGROUND

Although the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) is commonly used in several languages for a variety of foot disorders, it has not been validated specifically for foot and ankle arthritic conditions. The aims of the present study were to translate the original English FAOS into Thai and to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Thai version of the FAOS for the foot and ankle arthritic conditions.

METHODS

The original FAOS was translated into Thai using forward-backward translation. The Thai FAOS and validated Thai Short Form-36 (SF-36^®) questionnaires were distributed to 44 Thai patients suffering from arthritis of the foot and ankle to complete. For validation, Thai FAOS scores were correlated with SF-36 scores. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were also analyzed in this study.

RESULTS

The Thai FAOS score demonstrated sufficient correlation with SF-36 total score in Pain (Pearson's correlation coefficient (r)=0.45, p=0.002), Symptoms (r=0.45, p=0.002), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) (r=0.47, p=0.001), and Quality of Life (QOL) (r=0.38, p=0.011) subscales. The Sports and Recreational Activities (Sports & Rec) subscale did not correlate significantly with the SF-36^® (r=0.20, p=0.20). Cronbach's alpha, a measure of internal consistency, for the five subscales was as follows: Pain, 0.94 (p<0.001); Symptoms, 0.58 (p<0.001); ADL, 0.96 (p<0.001); Sports & Rec, 0.79 (p<0.001); and QOL, 0.93 (p<0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of a major subscale of ADL, containing 17 items, was significant at 0.33 (p=0.013; 95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.57).

CONCLUSION

The Thai FAOS demonstrated sufficient levels of construct and content validity for the evaluation of foot and ankle arthritis. Although reliability was satisfactory for the major subscale ADL, it was not sufficient for the minor subscales. Our findings suggest that it can be used as a disease-specific instrument to evaluate foot and ankle arthritis and can complement other reliable outcome surveys.

Vascular tortuosity in relationship with hypertension and posterior fossa volume in hemifacial spasm

Background

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a disabling neurological condition. Vascular tortuosity in HFS patients has not been quantified objectively and its relationship with hypertension and posterior fossa volume (PF) is unknown. In a case control magnetic resonance imaging and angiographic (MRI/A) study, we quantified and compared the vascular tortuosity in HFS and controls, and evaluated its relationship with hypertension and PF.

Methods

Using a commercially available vessel probe tool, an index of tortuosity based on vessel over chord length was employed to quantify vascular tortuosity of the vertebral (VA) and basilar arteries (BA) in 79 subjects (40 HFS, 39 controls).

Results

The tortuosity index of the BA (1.09 vs 1.16, p = 0.26, 95 % CI 1.07, 1.23), RVA (1.15 vs 1.15, p = 0.83, 95 % CI 1.06, 1.38) and LVA (1.14 vs 1.288, p = 0.16, 95 % CI 1.14, 1.44) was not different between HFS and controls, with adjustments for PF volume and hypertension.

Conclusions

Contrary to popular belief, our study showed that taking into account hypertension and PF volume, vascular tortuosity of the vertebrobasilar arteries is unlikely to be a major etiologic factor in HFS, though its role in select individuals cannot be excluded. The complex interplay of facial nerve hyperexcitability, genetic predisposition, vascular tortuosity, posterior fossa volume and hypertension needs to be further evaluated.

Long-term results of microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasms according to preoperative symptomatology

BACKGROUND

Microvascular decompression (MVD) is currently used in several centres for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and hemifacial spasms (HFS). How long-term results relate to the preoperative symptoms still needs to be documented. The primary aim of this study was to assess long-term results of MVD for TN and HFS, as related to the types of preoperative symptoms.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study including all first-time MVDs for TN and HFS done during the 11-year period (1999-2009) in the Department of Neurosurgery, The National Hospital (Rikshospitalet), Oslo. The patients were categorized depending on the pre-operative symptomatology.

RESULTS

The study population includes 303 first-time procedures performed by the senior author (PKE), 243 TN patients (65 % TN without constant pain and 35 % TN with constant pain) and 60 HFS patients (95 % typical HFS and 5 % atypical HFS). The patients were followed for a mean 71 months (range, 14-147). In both the TN and HFS patients, MVD caused lasting symptom relief in a high proportion of patients, including patients with atypical symptoms.

CONCLUSION

After MVD for TN and HFS, regardless of preoperative symptoms, lasting relief is observed in a high proportion of patients, with a favorable complication profile.

Headache in hemifacial spasm patients

OBJECTIVES

To assess prevalence of headaches in patients with hemifacial spasm. To determine whether hemifacial spasm provokes headaches and identifies predictive factors. To evaluate whether botulinum toxin given for hemifacial spasm improves headaches.

METHODS

Seventy patients with hemifacial spasm were evaluated for headaches. The relationship of headaches with hemifacial spasm, impact on quality of life (HIT-6), and improvement in headaches from botulinum toxin was recorded. Data on duration, severity, and impact on quality of life (HFS-7) of hemifacial spasm were collected.

RESULTS

Hemifacial spasm-related headache was significantly associated with increased hemifacial spasm severity (P < 0.001) and HIT-6 (P = 0.024). Greater hemifacial spasm severity was predictive of hemifacial spasm-related headache (P = 0.006, OR 19.1, 95% CI 2.35-155.64). Botulinum toxin (BTX) for hemifacial spasm improved hemifacial spasm-related headaches (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Hemifacial spasm can complicate headaches, particularly in patients with greater hemifacial spasm severity. Individually tailored regimens of botulinum toxin may be indicated in these patients.

Factors affecting the quality of life in hemifacial spasm patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Hemifacial spasm (HFS), a movement disorder manifested by unilateral spasms of the muscles innervated by the facial nerve, interferes with social life in about 90% of patients, causing social isolation and depression and having a significant impact on the quality of life. The aim of the study was to assess factors affecting the quality of life in patients with HFS in respect of influence of the severity of depression symptoms and botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) therapy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Eighty-five out of 129 patients included in the HFS database of the Movement Disorders Outpatient Clinic, Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Cracow who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and had no exclusion criteria (suffering from concomitant movement disorders, other severe chronic diseases or cognitive impairment) were studied. Demographic and clinical data (age at onset, disease duration and accompanying symptoms) were collected. Severity of HFS was assessed by the five-point clinical scale and seven-point Clinical Global Impression scale. Quality of life was assessed with the HFS-36 questionnaire and severity of depressive symptoms was evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory. HFS-36 was performed twice, before BTX-A injection and two weeks later.

RESULTS

The mean global score of HFS-36 was 47 ± 31 (maximum: 140 pts). Decreased HFS-36 score resulted from divergent deterioration in all subscales included in the questionnaire. Independent risk factors of deterioration in HFS-36 were increased severity of HFS and depressive symptoms as well as accompanying trismus. The HFS-36 score depended on the number and type of accompanying symptoms as well. Botulinum toxin type A therapy led to a significant improvement of HFS-36, particularly high in patients with multiple (> 4) HFS-related symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The HFS-36 score depends mostly on severity of HFS, depressive symptoms and occurrence of accompanying trismus. It improves after BTX-A treatment.

Botulinum toxin in hemifacial spasm: the challenge to assess the effect of treatment

Hemifacial spasm is characterized by intermittent tonic or clonic contractions of the muscles supplied by the facial nerve. Although vision is less impaired than in patients with blepharospasm, the disease can impose significant psychosocial burden on patient's life. Botulinum toxin (BoNT) is the well-established pharmacotherapy of choice, but evidence from controlled clinical trials is sparse. There is a broad variety of rating scales used in clinical studies with BoNT and obviously no consensus has been reached how to assess treatment outcome in hemifacial spasm. Clinical rating scales focusing on objective function were used in a couple of controlled studies with BoNT and were appropriate to discriminate between BoNTA and placebo. But it has not been shown that they would be sensitive enough to detect minor differences between several BoNT formulations. Although most of the clinical scales consist of a five-point rating, the descriptors for the ordinal numbers are not necessarily the same so that the results of different clinical studies are not comparable to each other. The main disadvantage of clinical scales is that they do not take into account patient's perspective of disability and impact on daily life. For this reason some clinical studies applied health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaires to assess efficacy, and one research group worked on the development of disease-specific tools. Although these HRQoL questionnaires have been validated and a good correlation to disease severity could be demonstrated, they are far from having become an established variable for efficacy assessment in hemifacial spasm trials. The challenge remains to establish tools which are appropriate to rate BoNT treatment effects in hemifacial spasm. Currently, it is virtually impossible to identify one rating scale which can cover all relevant aspects of the disorder. In consequence we recommend the implementation of a combination of different rating scales which address functional impairment as well as those issues which are most important to patients. Further research is needed to standardize and validate rating scales for hemifacial spasm in clinical studies.

Using the new clinical grading scale for quantification of the severity of hemifacial spasm: correlations with a quality of life scale

BACKGROUND

To date, no consensus has been reached regarding validated and practical tools to quantify the severity of hemifacial spasm (HFS) before and after surgery.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study has been to establish objective parameters for determining the preoperative severity of HFS and to assess the correlation with quality of life (QoL) in HFS patients.

METHODS

Patients who experienced HFS between April and August 2010 were reviewed. The patients were divided into four groups according to the severity of spasm (SMC grade): grade I - localized spasm around the periocular area; grade II - involuntary movement spreads to other parts of the ipsilateral face and it affects other muscle groups, i.e. the orbicularis oris, zygomaticus, frontalis or platysma muscle; grade III - interference with vision because of frequent tonic spasms, and grade IV - disfiguring asymmetry. We interviewed each patient using an HFS-7 questionnaire containing a short self-rating QoL scale. We estimated the measure of agreement across observers and examined the relationships between SMC grade and other factors, including HFS-7 responses.

RESULTS

Preoperative evaluation using the SMC grading system showed 25 patients with grade I, 48 patients with grade II, 33 patients with grade III, and 12 patients with grade IV HFS. The HFS-7 scores indicating QoL were 9 (range: 0-17) in grade I, 12 (range: 1-25) in grade II, 16 (range: 2-23) in grade III, and 17 (range: 3-24) in grade IV subjects. SMC grade was correlated with symptom duration (p < 0.0001) and HFS-7 score (p = 0.02). In addition, higher SMC grade was closely associated with longer duration of persisting symptoms (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

An SMC grading system is useful as a means of quantifying spasms to allow for more precise descriptions of a patient's condition including QoL, and to improve the accuracy of communication between medical teams.

Decision analysis of treatment options for vestibular schwannoma

Object

Widespread use of MR imaging has contributed to the more frequent diagnosis of vestibular schwannomas (VSs). These tumors represent 10% of primary adult intracranial neoplasms, and if they are symptomatic, they usually present with hearing loss and tinnitus. Currently, there are 3 treatment options for quality of life (QOL): wait and scan, microsurgery, and radiosurgery. In this paper, the authors' purpose is to determine which treatment modality yields the highest QOL at 5- and 10-year follow-up, considering the likelihood of recurrence and various complications.

Methods

The MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane online databases were searched for English-language articles published between 1990 and June 2008, containing key words relating to VS. Data were pooled to calculate the prevalence of treatment complications, tumor recurrence, and QOL with various complications. For parameters in which incidence varied with time of follow-up, the authors used meta-regression to determine the mean prevalence rates at a specified length of follow-up. A decision-analytical model was constructed to compare 5- and 10-year outcomes for a patient with a unilateral tumor and partially intact hearing. The 3 treatment options, wait and scan, microsurgery, and radiosurgery, were compared.

Results

After screening more than 2500 abstracts, the authors ultimately included 113 articles in this analysis. Recurrence, complication rates, and onset of complication varied with the treatment chosen. The relative QOL at the 5-year follow-up was 0.898 of normal for wait and scan, 0.953 for microsurgery, and 0.97 for radiosurgery. These differences are significant (p < 0.0052). Data were too scarce at the 10-year follow-up to calculate significant differences between the microsurgery and radiosurgery strategies.

Conclusions

At 5 years, patients treated with radiosurgery have an overall better QOL than those treated with either microsurgery or those investigated further with serial imaging. The authors found that the complications associated with wait-and-scan and microsurgery treatment strategies negatively impacted patient lives more than the complications from radiosurgery. One limitation of this study is that the 10-year follow-up data were too limited to analyze, and more studies are needed to determine if the authors' results are still consistent at 10 years.

Validation of a Chinese version of disease specific quality of life scale (HFS-36) for hemifacial spasm in Taiwan

Background and object

There was no Chinese questionnaire to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS). In this study, we aimed to validate a new disease-specific HRQoL scale for HFS (HFS-36) in Chinese version, and compared it to SF-36, a generic HRQoL scale.

Patients and Methods

The HFS-36 Chinese version was modified from English version of HFS-30, including subscales of mobility, activities of daily living (ADL), emotional well-being, stigma, social support, cognition, bodily discomfort, and communication. All the items were scored on the 5-point scales, ranging from 0(never) to 4(always). Patients with HFS were asked to answer HFS-36 and SF-36 questionnaires on the same day before and 6-8 weeks after Botulinum toxin (BTX) injections, respectively. The reliability and validity of HFS-36 scale were evaluated statistically.

Results

Totally, 103 patients (68 females; 35 males) were recruited in this study, with a mean age of 57.6 ± 11.5 years and a mean duration of HFS for 7.6 ± 5.8 years. The intra-class correlation (ICC) and Cronbach's α were over 0.7 in the majority of items. HFS-36 showed a good correlation to HFS severity before BTX treatment and a significant improvement of subscale scoring after BTX treatment. HFS-36 also had a significant correlation to the mental health of SF-36.

Conclusions

The Chinese version of HFS-36 demonstrated a good reliability and validity in subscales of motility, ADL, emotion well-being, stigma and bodily discomfort. The HRQoL was significantly improved after BTX treatment assessed by HFS-36 or SF-36. Compared to SF-36, HFS-36 scale was more sensitive and specific to evaluate the HRQoL in HFS.

Microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm: postoperative neurologic follow-up and evaluation of life quality

Microvascular decompression (MVD) is an effective and safe treatment in hemifacial spasm (HFS). Postoperative evaluations are usually made by neurosurgeons. Follow-up studies performed by neurologists and postoperative quality of life (QoL) investigations are lacking. All 25 HFS patients operated with MVD in our centre between 2000 and 2004 were evaluated with the recently validated HFS-7 scheme, extended with the item 'sleep disturbance due to HFS' (HFS-8). The patients underwent a careful neurological examination median 3 years after the operation. The evaluation focused on clinical aspects, changes in blood pressure and time until observable effect of MVD. The evaluation of HFS-7 questionnaire and the extended form (HFS-8) showed significant improvement in QoL after MVD. Neurological outcome was in almost all cases excellent or good. Eleven (44%) patients had no neurological deficits at all. Only one patient had serious complications with ipsilateral facial palsy, deafness, balance problems and vertigo. The other patients had minor neurological findings or symptoms. Eighteen (72%) patients experienced early effect within 3 months after MVD; seven (28%) patients had late effect between 6 and 14 months. Median age of the patients with late effect (62.6 years) was significantly higher than in those with early effect (52.7 years).

Young onset hemifacial spasm

INTRODUCTION

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) frequently affects middle aged individuals and the clinical features and etiology have been well reported. However, there is limited data on the exact pathogenesis in young-onset HFS. If age is a major determinant of the etiology or influences the presentation of HFS, there may be clinical differences between the young and elderly HFS patients.

OBJECTIVES

We determined the prevalence, clinical and imaging features of young-onset HFS (age of onset<or=30 years) in a tertiary referral center. These data were compared with old onset (age of onset>or=65 years) HFS patients.

METHODS

We examined consecutive patients clinically diagnosed with HFS in a tertiary referral center. The clinical (demographics, clinical presentation, severity of HFS, associated medical conditions and other variables) and imaging findings of young onset patients and old onset patients were tabulated and compared.

RESULTS

Amongst 230 consecutive HFS patients, 15 (6.5%) were young-onset HFS and 50 (21.7%) were old-onset HFS. In the young-onset HFS, the mean age of onset of symptoms was 26.5+/-6.5 (6-30) years, with 80% women and 75.0% of young onset HFS having neurovascular compression (NVC) of the root exit zone (REZ) of the facial nerve on the ipsilateral side; 86.7% had initial onset of twitching in the upper eyelids that later progressed to the lower facial muscles. While the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and other associated vascular disorders in late onset HFS was higher than in young onset groups, the clinical features and frequency of NVC of the facial REZ between the two groups were similar.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated a 6.5% frequency of young-onset HFS in our cohort of HFS and their clinical presentation was similar to the old onset patients. Genetic, anatomic or other unidentified factors may contribute to NVC in young-onset HFS.