title: Comparison of brain MRI angiography and brain MRI cisternography in patients with hemifacial spasm.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to compare the ability of brain magnetic resonance imaging angiography and brain magnetic resonance imaging cisternography of showing the neurovascular contiguity of the facial nerve in patients with hemifacial spasm.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included a total of 35 patients (28 females, 7 males), with an average age of 57.5 ± 13.8 years, who presented to our outpatient clinic of movement disorders. All patients were prospectively applied brain magnetic resonance imaging angiography and brain magnetic resonance imaging cisternography, and the results were evaluated by a radiologist who was blind to study protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 35 patients, of whom 28 (80 %) were female and 7 (20 %) were male. Brain magnetic resonance imaging angiography demonstrated facial nerve compression of vascular origin in 5 (14.3 %) patients presenting with the clinical presentation of hemifacial spasm. Neurovascular compression of facial nerve was shown by brain magnetic resonance imaging cisternography in 13 (37.1 %) patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No statistically significant difference was found between brain magnetic resonance imaging angiography and brain magnetic resonance imaging cisternography techniques in detecting a compressive interaction causing hemifacial spasm between facial nerve and adjacent vascular structures (p > 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. ruhsenocal@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ruhsen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Öcal
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tuba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tunç
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Adapazari, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynep Özözen
authors.initials: ZÖ
authors.lastname: Ayas
authors.affiliation: Department of Radyology, Suleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine, Isparta, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bozok University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Levent Ertuğrul
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: İnan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D019569:Hemifacial Spasm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hemifacial spasm; MRI angiography; MRI cisternography