First described by Henri Meige 1904, this syndrome is now more commonly called oral facial dystonia.

Diagnosis would have to be accurate enough to differentiate the distinctive spasms and movements of the disorder as differentiated from other similar conditions. Distinctions to look for as characteristic of the disease include forceful blinking in accompaniment to grimacing and aggressive chin thrusting; interactive movement between oral and eye movements.

There are currently three kinds of treatments used for for hemifacial spasms; neurological approach, surgical approach, and the use of Botulinum toxin injections or more popularly known as botox. In some relatively milder cases, some doctors even prescribe medications or even recommend biofeedback training. Medical intervention is focused on drug therapy although the success rate in controlling spasms though such drugs as diazepam, levodopa, methyldopa, lithium, clonopine, lioresal, and tetrabenazine have been modestly successful. Another option is surgery which are dictated in part by how severe the spasms are. If the cause is found to be a blood vessel affecting the facial nerve, surgery would have to re-adjust its position. Another method of treatment is injection with the popular cosmetic agent Botox; small amounts of the toxin are injected into the eyelid muscles to stop spasms lasting for months.

The main symptoms of the disease are involuntary blinking and chin thrusting. Some patients also also have "laryngeal dystonia" which are pasms of the larynx. The condition tends to affect women more frequently than men

The cause of the disease is unknown although it tends to affect more women than men.