title: Relationship between the facial nerve root and its surrounding vessels.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study relationship between facial nerve root and its surrounding vessels.
  
  
  METHODS
  49 sides facial nerve root and its surrounding vessel were dissected and observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Facial nerve root and its surrounding vessels forming compression was found to be 24.5% (12/49), creating contact was found to be 14.3% (7/49). The main vessels compressed or (and) contacted facial nerve root were anterioinferior cerebellar artery (68.4%), posterioinferior cerebellar artery (4.1%), malformed vertebral artery (4.1%) and anterioinferior cerebellar vein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Facial nerve root compressed by offending vesselsare was mainly cause of hemifacial spasm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Basic, Stomatological College, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, China.
authors.forename: Kuiqi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yuanxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019569:Hemifacial Spasm / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans