The patient is also now able to open his left eye, which had been shut due to continuous spasm.
A 40-year-old was relieved of a hemifacial spasm after 15 years when plastic surgeons at a Delhi based hospital treated it using non-surgical temperature controlled invasive radio frequency ablation (surgical removal). The procedure, which has been done for the first time in the world, has relieved the patient, himself a doctor, of the discomfort and the need of taking Botox injections. The patient is also now able to open his left eye, which had been shut due to continuous spasm.
“The 15-year-long ordeal with hemifacial spasm has been a tough one. I took Botox injections, which merely worked as a poor quick fix, as the relief was almost always partial, and the problem returned as the effect faded. This led me to socially seclude myself. However, despite my condition heavily affecting my professional and social life, I could not bring myself to open brain surgery, suggested by few neurosurgeons. I am glad that an Indian surgeon was innovative and straightforward enough to explain the procedure, which led me to give a nod to being the first patient of this technology,” said Satish Mittal.
With a prevalence of 9.8 per 100,000 persons in India, the treatment of hemifacial spasm is considered rather difficult as the surgical intervention, which involves opening the skull, has been the only solution available till now. Temporary solutions like Botox injections and certain medications are given only to temporarily paralyse the muscles causing discomfort. The innovation, however, boasts of treating the problem without any major surgical intervention.
“Hemifacial spasm is actually a nervous system disorder in which the muscles on one side of the face twitch involuntarily, this is usually caused by a blood vessel touching a facial nerve. In this procedure, we used a nerve stimulator to locate the nerve which was causing the disturbance. After carefully isolating it, we used radio frequency to kill it permanently.
This is like eliminating the problem causing nerve without surgery. The procedure will lead to long term relief with no significant risks,” said Dr Ajaya Kashyap, Medical Director, KAS Medical Centre.
NERVE ISSUES
Hemifacial spasm is actually a nervous system disorder in which the muscles on one side of the face twitch involuntarily, this is usually caused by a blood vessel touching a facial nerve.
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