ABSTRACT
Objective To analyse the efficacy of microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm (HFS) caused by vertebral basilar artery compression. Methods A total of 141 patients with HFS treated by microvascular decompression in our hospital were collected in this study. The improvement of the symptoms after operation was compared between patients with HFS caused by vertebral basilar artery compression (28 cases) and patients with HFS caused by non-vertebral basilar artery compression (113 cases). Results There was no significant difference in the effective rate between the two groups of HFS (96.43%vs. 98.23%,P=0.49) with mean following-up 13.81 ± 1.57 months. And there was no significant difference in the delayed cure rate after surgery between two groups (37.04%vs. 20.72%,χ2=1.38, P>0.05). Conclusion Microvascular decompression is a safe and effective method for the treatment of HFS caused by compressed vertebral basilar artery.