title: Surgical treatment of pediatric hemifacial spasm patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the clinical features and outcomes of pediatric primary hemifacial spasm patients who underwent microvascular decompression procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, five pediatric (<18 years old) primary hemifacial spasm patients underwent microvascular decompression. After surgery, resolution of spasms and surgical complications were observed. Their social adaptability was evaluated using a social adaptation scale, which was designed specially for Chinese middle-school students.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four typical hemifacial spasm patients had immediate excellent or good relief. However, the microvascular decompression procedure did not help the atypical patient much (50% relief of spasm). The score of social adaptation of the pediatric hemifacial spasm patients was 111.6  ±  8.2. Compared with the ordinary healthy Chinese middle-school students, whose score is 170.8  ±  25.4, the patients experienced great difficulty in social adaptation (P  <  0.01). After surgery, the scores of two patients increased to a normal level; however, the other three patients remained unchanged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Microvascular decompression is effective and safe to typical primary hemifacial spasm patients younger than 18 years old. Hemifacial spasm is harmful to the children's social adaptation. However, only some of the patients recovered to the normal social adaptation level even when the spasms were cured.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, XinHua Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 1665 Kongjiang Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, 200092, China.
authors.forename: Baohui
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Xuesheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Wenchuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yinda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Xuming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.forename: Shiting
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D019569:Hemifacial Spasm / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*