Trigeminal Neuralgia & Hemifacial Spasm

Trigeminal Neuraligia

Trigeminal neuralgia is a severe pain syndrome that is most often due to a blood vessel compressing the trigeminal nerve where it originates from the brain in an area called the cerebellopontine angle. The attacks of Trigeminal Neuralgia can be spontaneous or provoked by even mild stimulation of the face. Trigeminal neuralgia affects women more often than men, and it's more likely to occur in people who are older than 50.

At Florida Hospital, our neurosurgeons have extensive experience in managing all forms of Trigeminal Neuralgia and offer a multipronged approach to attack the pain using various surgical and non-surgical options.  These options include surgical microscopic microvascular decompression, minimally invasive endoscopic microvascular decompression, various trigeminal rhizotomies, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, and drug therapies. 

Because our physicians at Florida Hospital offer all the treatment options available for patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia, we can offer hope to many patients with this disabling pain disorder when other treatments have failed.  At Florida Hospital Neuroscience Institute, highly trained specialists from Neurology and Neurosurgery work together and use their skills and extensive experience with the latest diagnostic tools to determine the most appropriate treatment for patients.

For additional information about trigeminal neuralgia and treatment options, contact us.

Hemifacial Spasm

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a neuromuscular disorder resulting in frequent incontrollable muscular contractions of the face on one side. Sometimes confused with blepharospasm, HFS usually starts as uncontrollable twitching around the eye causing the eyelid to shut involuntarily. The spasm may then spread to the lower facial muscles, which does not generally occur with blepharospasm, and the patient's mouth may begin to pull to one side.  Blepharospasm also tends to occur bilaterally. Benign essential blepharospasm can easily be confused with hemifacial spasm. The latter can be diagnosed through facial muscle EMG testing. Symptoms of HFS may increase with increased exposure to stress, emotional strain, fatigue, bright lights, televisions, computer monitors and reading. Hemifacial spasm occurs most frequently in middle-aged men and women.

The cause of HFS is similar to that of Trigeminal Neuralgia as a blood vessel (artery or vein) compresses a nerve coming off the brainstem in the cerebellopontine angle.  However, in HFS the compression involves the facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, as opposed to the Trigeminal Nerve as seen with Trigeminal Neuralgia.  Mild cases of HFS may be controlled with Botox Injections, but recurrence is common and some patients undergo multiple injections, which can result in facial weakness, drooling, or inability to close the eye.  The only curative treatment for HFS is a surgery called a microvascular decompression, which has shown to be the most effective long-term treatment for Hemifacial Spasm.

At Florida Hospital Neuroscience Institute, specialists will typically order a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to investigate the cause of the hemifacial spasm and determine the most appropriate treatment options. What might take months to accomplish in other settings can be completed in days at Florida Hospital.

For additional information about hemifacial spasm and treatment options, contact us.