Ventrolateral medullary compression in hypertensive patients with hemifacial spasm

Neurology. 2005 Nov 8;65(9):1467-70. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000183065.11255.15.

Abstract

In a patient-controlled study, the authors demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of rostral ventrolateral medulla (VLM) compression in hypertensive patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS) compared with age-, sex-, race-, disease duration-, and disease severity-matched normotensive patients with HFS (p = 0.02). Hypertensive HFS patients were more likely to have a greater severity of neurovascular compression at the VLM compared with normotensive HFS patients (p = 0.008). VLM compression is associated with risk of hypertension in this study population.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Basilar Artery / pathology
  • Basilar Artery / physiopathology
  • Blood Pressure / physiology
  • Brain Stem / blood supply
  • Brain Stem / pathology
  • Brain Stem / physiopathology*
  • Causality
  • Comorbidity
  • Efferent Pathways / physiopathology
  • Facial Nerve / blood supply
  • Facial Nerve / pathology
  • Facial Nerve / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Hemifacial Spasm / diagnosis
  • Hemifacial Spasm / epidemiology
  • Hemifacial Spasm / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / diagnosis
  • Hypertension / epidemiology
  • Hypertension / physiopathology*
  • Incidence
  • Ischemic Attack, Transient / diagnosis
  • Ischemic Attack, Transient / epidemiology
  • Ischemic Attack, Transient / physiopathology*
  • Magnetic Resonance Angiography
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Reticular Formation / physiopathology
  • Sympathetic Nervous System / physiopathology
  • Vertebral Artery / pathology
  • Vertebral Artery / physiopathology*
  • Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / diagnosis
  • Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / epidemiology
  • Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / physiopathology*