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CASE REPORT
Bilateral painful tic convulsif
  1. Valentina Fenech1,
  2. Julian Cassar1,
  3. Ludvic Zrinzo2,
  4. Malcolm Vella3
  1. 1Department of Medicine, Mater Dei Hospital, Msida, Malta
  2. 2Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
  3. 3Department of Neuroscience, Mater Dei Hospital, Msida, Malta
  1. Correspondence to Dr Valentina Fenech, vally.fenech{at}gmail.com

Summary

‘Painful tic convulsif’ (PTC) describes the coexistence of hemifacial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia. In this report, we describe a unique presentation of bilateral PTC in a man with bilateral hemifacial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia secondary to neurovascular conflict of all four cranial nerves. Following failed medical and radiofrequency therapy, microvascular decompression of three of the four involved nerves was performed, where the offending vessels were mobilised and Teflon used to prevent conflict recurrence. He continues to respond to Botox for right hemifacial spasm. Since surgery, he remains pain free bilaterally and spasm free on the left.

  • cranial nerves
  • neuroimaging
  • pain (neurology)
  • neurosurgery

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Footnotes

  • Contributors VF and JC were responsible for literature review and manuscript preparation. LZ and MV contributed towards editing and review of the final manuscript.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.