Treatment of hemifacial spasm and blepharospasm with botulinum toxin A: clinical report of 68 cases

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of Botulinum toxin A for hemifacial spasm and for the facial spasm and blepharospasm. Methods: a total of 68 individuals were enrolled in the clinical study. The Botulinum Toxin A was locally injected into the involved muscles. The dosage for each injection was 1～2 ng/mL(2.5～50 U/mL). Results: The overall successful rate of relief of spasm was 100%. Among them, 85.3% of patients had excellent improvement on the spasm intensity scale, while the rest 14.7% of patients had moderate improvement. The beneficial effect began at the 4 h to 3days after the injection, and the duration of beneficial effects was 12～30 weeks. Only local side effects appeared in some patients, but it was mild and reversible. Conclusion: Botulinum toxin A injection is an effective, safe and simple therapeutic method for patients with hemifacial spasm and blepharospasm, and may be considered as the first choice for the treatment of patients with hemifacial spasm and blepharospasm.