An Intraoperative Multibranch Abnormal Muscle Response Monitoring Method During Microvascular Decompression for Hemifacial Spasm

Background: Intraoperative abnormal muscle response (AMR) is widely used as an indicator during microvascular decompression surgery for hemifacial spasm. Usually only 1 muscle is recorded, and not all patients show a response, leaving the surgery somewhat blinded. We propose an improved method to record from multiple muscles innervated by multiple branches of the facial nerve to increase the positive AMR detection rate.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed of 1604 patients with hemifacial spasm undergoing microvascular decompression at a single center. All patients were monitored for AMR by stimulating the zygomatic branch of the facial nerve. Only mentalis was recorded in 158 cases (single-branch AMR). Orbicularis oris, frontalis, and mentalis were simultaneously monitored in 148 cases (3-branch AMR), and platysma was further added in the remaining 1298 cases (4-branch AMR). Positive AMR detection rates were compared across the groups.

Results: Total positive AMR detection rates significantly increased as more muscles were included in monitoring and were 74.1% for single-branch AMR, 86.5% for 3-branch AMR, and 98.4% for 4-branch AMR. Detection rates from single muscles were not significantly different across the groups. For all available cases, rates were 73.5% from mentalis, 47.2% from frontalis, 64.1% from orbicularis oris, and 40.8% from platysma.

Conclusions: This new multibranch AMR monitoring method can effectively increase the positive detection rate to as high as 98.4%. It is expected to better assist surgery.