Myokymia and Facial Contraction in Brain Stem Glioma: An Electromyographic Study

Occasional patients with a brain stem glioma have continuous unilateral facial contraction and myokymia. One such a patient underwent detailed electromyographic study of the involved facial muscles. In addition, following lidocaine infiltration of the ipsilateral facial nerve at the stylomastoid foramen, the facial contraction and myokymia were eliminated. This indicates that the abnormal muscle activity was due to a process more proximal than the stylomastoid foramen and was not due to a distal lesion as has been found in myokymia of the limb muscles.