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Atlas of Neurology—A Case-based Approach
by Satish V Khadilkar, Kalyan B BhattacharyyaIn both the patients, there is visible non-rhythmic contraction of the facial muscles and orbicularis oculi of the left side. The most important differential diagnosis is blepharospasm, where the facial muscles do not twitch. It may be idiopathic or secondary to facial nerve injury. Sometimes an ectatic artery compresses upon the facial nerve, which in turn, is irritated. In some cases, where there is simultaneous contraction of the orbicularis oculi and frontalis, leading to furrowing on the forehead and near-closure of the palpebral fissure, is known as ‘the other Babinski sign’, and it clearly indicates the organic nature of the disease and rules out any hysterical illness. The pathogenesis is not clear and the postulations are abnormal ephaptic transmission, abnormal facial nerve axonal activity, and kindling in the facial nucleus. The condition is treated with anti-convulsants like, carbamazepine, which reduces ephaptic transmission, botulinum toxin injection, or by surgical removal of any offending blood vessel. In the third and fourth patients, there is remarkable improvement following treatment with incremental dosage of anticholinergics, tetrabenazine and baclofen.
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