title: Mesenchymal stem cells in iatrogenic facial nerve paralysis: a possible role in the future.
abstract: Iatrogenic facial nerve paralysis is one of the major and drastic complications of ear surgery. We report a case of a 20-year-old female patient with simple chronic otitis media who underwent mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty. During the mastoidectomy process the facial nerve was unintentionally destroyed, leaving a gap of 8-10 mm in the third segment of the intratemporal facial nerve. The nerve was repaired with a nerve cable graft obtained from the vicinity. On the 42nd day, autologous mesenchymal stem cell transplantation was performed after facial nerve trauma. The patient's facial nerve paralysis has recovered from House-Brackmann grade VI to IV within a week and then to III in the fifth month. The rapid, postoperative progress, and the early follow-up results are discussed. This case represents the first bone marrow stem cell application in a peripheral nerve, namely the facial nerve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Karadeniz Technical University, Tip Fakultesi, KBB Anabilim Dali, Trabzon, Turkey. refikcaylan@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Refik
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caylan
authors.forename: Devrim
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bektas
authors.forename: Tamer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dikmen
authors.forename: Ozlen
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bektas
authors.forename: Serdar B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Omay
authors.forename: Ercument
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ovali
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D020220:Facial Nerve Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000601:surgery