Facial myokymia in the Guillain‐Barre syndrome

Facial myokymia in brain death

“…Van Zandycke et al (1982) reported a patient with Guillain±Barre syndrome, with FM. At autopsy, the facial nerve revealed focal demyelination of the intraosseous portion, although the brainstem, including the facial nucleus, was normal.…”

“…Facial myokymia has been reported in patients with brainstem disorders such as, multiple sclerosis, syringobulbia and pontine gliomas (Van Zandycke et al ., 1982; Jacobs et al ., 1994). There have been anecdotal reports of FM in rare conditions such as, Guillain–Barré syndrome and cardiopulmonary arrest (Van Zandycke et al ., 1982). The underlying mechanism of FM is still uncertain.…”

“…The underlying mechanism of FM is still uncertain. Supranuclear (Sethi et al ., 1974), nuclear (Kaeser et al ., 1963; Radü et al ., 1975) and peripheral origin (Medina et al ., 1977; Van Zandycke et al ., 1982), have been postulated.…”

The Lesion Causing Continuous Facial Myokymia in Multiple Sclerosis

“…COMMENT There is compelling evidence that the pontine tegmen¬ tal lesion we have described is the cause of CFM in MS. The lesion was located in an appropriate anatomic area and side to cause the dyskinesia in 11 patients. It was never seen on MRI studies performed prior to the onset of CFM, and it resolved completely in six of eight patients reexamined by MRI after the dyskinesia stopped clinically.…”

CASE REPORT AND CLINICAL REVIEW: Unilateral facial myokymia in a dog with an intracranial meningioma

“…Studies in human patients with FM suggest that changes in the biochemical microenvironment of the facial nerve by processes such as demyelination, radiation, toxic effects, ischaemia hypoxia or oedema can induce axonal membrane hyperexcitability, resulting in spontaneous generation of myokymic and neuromyotonic discharges by mechanisms such as ectopic excitation, ephaptic excitation (cross‐talk) or autoexcitation 1,3 . This concept explains well the unilateral FM seen in human patients with disorders directly affecting either intra‐axial components of the facial nerve, such as in multiple sclerosis, 6 or extra‐axial components of the facial nerve, such as in Bell's palsy, 8 Guillain‐Barré syndrome, 1,23 cases of antibodies to voltage‐gated potassium channels, 12 and acoustic neuromas 17 or cholesteatomas involving the internal acoustic meatus 8 …”