A comparison of patient satisfaction and objective assessment of neurosensory function after trigeminal nerve repair.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare objective and subjective assessments of neurosensory function after trigeminal nerve repair.


METHODS
This was a retrospective cohort study using a sample of patients who underwent surgical repair of trigeminal nerve injuries. The primary study variables were categorized as objective or subjective. The objective variable was the change in neurosensory examination between preoperative and 1-year postoperative visits. Neurosensory status was measured using an ordinal scale ranging from anesthetic (0) to normal (4). Subjective variables included patient satisfaction with the nerve repair and patient assessment of injury-related oral dysfunction. Demographic, anatomic, and operative variables were also collected. Appropriate univariate and bivariate statistics were computed.


RESULTS
The sample was composed of 19 patients (14 female, 17 Caucasian) who had trigeminal nerve repair (17 lingual, 2 inferior alveolar). The mean duration between injury and repair was 4.5 +/- 2.3 months; between repair and postoperative assessment was 11.9 +/- 0.9 months. The mean change in neurosensory status was 1.3 +/- 1.0 levels. The majority of patients (63.1%) rated their satisfaction with the outcome of treatment as "good" to "excellent." There was a statistically significant correlation between change in neurosensory status and patient satisfaction (rho = 0.86; P < .01).


CONCLUSIONS
There is evidence of a strong correlation between improvement in the neurosensory examination following trigeminal nerve repair and patient satisfaction with the surgical outcome 1-year postoperatively. Patients who experience greater neurosensory improvement also report lower frequencies of related oral dysfunction.
Susarla
Srinivas M
SM
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Lam
Natalie P
NP
Donoff
R Bruce
RB
Kaban
Leonard B
LB
Dodson
Thomas B
TB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008036:Lingual Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D061222:Lingual Nerve Injuries; D008297:Male; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D061221:Trigeminal Nerve Injuries