Myokymia is a clinical phenomenon characterized by undulating, vermicular, rippling and wavelike movements spreading across the muscle surface. Facial myokymia is an unusual complication of brainstem hemorrhage. It tends to occur in brainstem tumor
or
multiple sclerosis. We report a 51-year-old man with continuous facial and neck myokymia after brainstem hemorrhage, who revealed focal myokymic discharges in face, neck and pharyngolaryngeal muscles innervated by cranial nerve Ⅴ, Ⅶ, Ⅹ and
ⅩⅠ.
After injection of 20∼80 units of Botulinum toxin type A (Dysport®) to the left orbicularis oris, mentalis, mylohyoid and posterior belly of digastric muscles, amplitude of continuous myokymic discharges was markedly reduced. We
recommend Botulinum toxin injection as a very effective therapeutic method in managing focal movement disorders.
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