ABSTRACT

BTA injection is a safe and effective method in the treatment of BEB and HFS. With similar injection doses in long-term, the mean duration of relief time after treatment was unchanged in the HFS group and was increased in the BEB group, although the difference was not statistically significant.

Of the 12 patients, 6 (4 females, 2 males) had treatment for BEB and 6 (5 females, 1 male) for HFS. The mean follow-up was 66.17 months for all patients, 51.83 months in the BEB group and 90.33 months in the HFS group. Average treatment dose was 40.79 U for BEB group and 29.07 U for HFS group. Mean duration of relief time was 16.1 weeks after the first 5 injections and 18.9 weeks after the last 5 injections (p=0.172). In HFS group, mean duration of relief time was 23.6 weeks after the first 5 injections and 23.0 weeks after the last 5 injections (p=0.463). In BEB group, mean duration of relief after the last 5 injections was increased by 2.7 weeks compared with the first 5 injections.

The records of patients who were treated with BTA for BEB and HFS were analyzed retrospectively. The patients who had <10 injections and did not attend the follow-up examinations were excluded from the study. The first and last 5 injection doses and the mean duration of relief in 12 patients were compared between the groups.

In this study, we evaluated the long-term effects of botulinum toxin A (BTA) in patients diagnosed with benign essential blepharospasm (BEB) and hemifacial spasm (HFS) comparing the drug dose in early and late periods and mean duration of relief.