title: Fusiform aneurysm of the vertebral artery presenting hemifacial spasm treated by intravascular embolization: case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A rare case of fusiform vertebral artery aneurysm causing hemifacial spasm was successfully treated by intravascular embolization.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 53-year-old man presented with left hemifacial spasm persisting for 2 years. No other clinical symptoms were observed. Vertebral angiography revealed a fusiform aneurysm of the left vertebral artery, and thin-slice spoiled gradient-recalled acquisition magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the aneurysm compressing the root exit zone of the left facial nerve. The parent artery was occluded together with the aneurysm by intravascular embolization with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs). The patient is free of left hemifacial spasm without any complication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hemifacial spasm caused by aneurysms, especially fusiform aneurysms, is quite rare but can be treated by parent artery occlusion and coiling the aneurysm with GDCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroendovascular Therapy, Kohnan Hospital, Department of Neuroendovascular Therapy, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Tohoku, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ezura
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshimoto
mesh_terms: D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D019569:Hemifacial Spasm / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000473:pathology