Is hypertension associated with hemifacial spasm

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is characterized by intermittent twitching of the muscles innervated by the ipsilateral facial nerve.1 Reports of normalization of blood pressure after vascular decompression in hypertensive patients suggest an association of hypertension with brainstem compression.2 A recent multicenter case–control study demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension in white patients with HFS.3 The cause and effect of hypertension in HFS might have an impact on the management of HFS. Using case–control methodology, we examined the association of hypertension and HFS among HFS patients in our population and investigated differences in neurovascular contact (NVC) of the root exit zone (REZ) of the seventh cranial nerve in HFS patients with and without hypertension using high-resolution MRI/MR angiography (MRA). Consecutive HFS patients (117) from the movement disorder clinic and controls (245) without HFS seen in the general outpatient clinic for conditions unrelated to hypertension were included in the study. For every HFS patient, we selected two controls of similar age, sex, ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI). A history of hypertension was not an exclusion criterion. All HFS patients were offered brain MRI/MRA as part of the evaluation. We defined hypertension by …