Neurological Surgery

FAQ About Hemifacial Spasm

Many patients have never even heard of hemifacial spasm until they or a family member are diagnosed with it. Here are some of the common questions we're asked about hemifacial spasm:

What our Patients Say

Emma Novick had surgery for hemifacial spasm at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medicine
“It Felt Like a Miracle” (A Hemifacial Spasm Story)
It began in 2017, as a twitch in Emma Novick's left eye. The tic wasn’t painful, but it became more persistent over time, pulling downward into her cheek.  Emma was diagnosed with hemifacial spasm, which is caused by irritation of one of the cranial...

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How is hemifacial spasm treated?

Our Care Team

Philip E. Stieg, PhD, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine
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  • Chair and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief
  • Margaret and Robert J. Hariri, MD ’87, PhD ’87 Professor of Neurological Surgery
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Phone: 866-426-7787
Michael Kaplitt, MD, PhD
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  • Executive Vice Chair, Neurological Surgery
  • Professor of Neurological Surgery
  • Director, Movement Disorders and Pain
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Phone: 212-746-4966
Jared Knopman, MD
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  • Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventional Neuroradiology
  • Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery
  • Fellowship Director, Endovascular Neurosurgery
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Phone: 212-746-5149
John Park, MD, PhD
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  • Chief of Neurological Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
  • Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery
  • Co-director, Weill Cornell Medicine CSF Leak Program
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Phone: (718) 670-1837
Justin Schwarz, MD
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  • Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery (Brooklyn and Manhattan)
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Phone: 212-746-2821 (Manhattan); 718-780-3070 (Brooklyn)

Reviewed by: Philip E. Stieg, PhD, MD
Last reviewed/last updated: May 2024
Illustration by Thom Graves, CMI

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Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery 525 East 68 Street, Box 99 New York, NY 10065 Phone: 866-426-7787