Effects of Botulinum Toxin Combined with Diltiazem on Blepharospasm and Hemifacial Spasm.

Kim, Bong Hyun; Song, Cheol Hwa; Kim, Jae Chan

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 1995;36(10):1643-1648.
Published online October 1, 1995.

Effects of Botulinum Toxin Combined with Diltiazem on Blepharospasm and Hemifacial Spasm.

Bong Hyun Kim, Cheol Hwa Song, Jae Chan Kim

Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.

본태성 안검경련증 및 반측 안면경련 환자에서의 Botulinum toxin 과 Diltiazem 병용투여에 대한 효과

김봉현(Bong Hyun Kim),송철화(Cheol Hwa Song),김재찬(Jae Chan Kim)

Abstract

We investigated whether symptom-free period(mean response time) could be prolonged when diltiazem, one of the calcium-channel blocker, as a adjuvant was administered with botulinum toxin in blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm. The patients were 10 blepharospasms and 20 hemifacial spasms who had been treating with botulinum toxin injection in our hospital. When they received only botulinum toxin for treatment of blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm, their mean response times were 126.94 +/- 42.74 and 167.32 +/- 52.90 days, respectively. After start combination therapy of diltiazembotulinum toxin, mean response times were prolonged to 163.83 +/- 53.07 (p=0.0446) in patients with blepharospasm, on the other hand, 154.21 +/- 43.36(p=0.2156) days in patients with hemifacial spasm. This study suggests that a combination treatment of diltiazem and toxin may be effective especially when the mean response time is decreased due to antibody production and the local complications are possibly expected in some patients. Present study is meaningful in that it provides a new treatment modality for blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm.

Key Words: Blepharospasm;Botulinum toxin;Diltiazem;Hemifacial spasm;Mean response time