title: Childhood-onset hemifacial spasm: successful treatment with botulinum toxin.
abstract: Hemifacial spasm is a disorder characterized by involuntary contractions of muscles innervated by the ipsilateral facial nerve. The majority of cases are of adult-onset. However, a few cases have been described in children. Detectable causes of pediatric hemifacial spasm include facial nerve compression by vasculature and brainstem masses. In the treatment of hemifacial spasm, surgical decompression of the facial nerve has been used with good results in both adults and children. However, surgical procedures have serious risks and should be used only in selected cases. Although injections of botulinum toxin type A have been successfully used in adult hemifacial spasm patients, to our knowledge there is no report of use of this indication in children. This report presents the first case of a pediatric patient with childhood-onset hemifacial spasm successfully treated with periorbital botulinum toxin injections. The literature on the subject is also reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Miami, School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Spiridon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Papapetropoulos
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Farronay
mesh_terms: D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D019569:Hemifacial Spasm / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009465:Neuromuscular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D009465:Neuromuscular Agents; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A