Hemifacial spasm

What it means

Intermittent clonic or tonic contraction of muscles supplied by facial nerve. Muscles are relaxed in between contractions.

Hemifacial spasm presents in the fifth or sixth decade of life, and is almost always unilateral. An attack usually begins with brief clonic movements of the orbicularis oculi and spreads over years to other facial muscles. Hemifacial spasm is often the result of chronic irritation of the facial nerve or nucleus.

Rare diseases that can present with this2

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Hemifacial spasms