title: Modified procedure for secondary facial rehabilitation following total bilateral irreversible peripheral facial palsy.
abstract: We present the case of a middle-aged gentleman who developed total bilateral irreversible peripheral facial palsy over a period of 10 years, starting with palsy of the marginal mandibular and buccal branches of the facial nerve and progressing to the zygomatic and temporal branches. The patient did not develop any other neurological symptoms, and all neurological and other tests have remained negative over the last 10 years. Dripping of saliva and inability to close the mouth necessitated reanimation of the perioral region with the help of a fascia lata graft fixed to the fascia of the masseter muscles. The increasing lagophthalmos and associated eye problems were alleviated with a temporal muscle transposition combined with a lengthening procedure using the temporal fascia, passed through the upper and lower eyelids and hooked around the medial canthal ligament. The fascia strips were sutured not to the canthal ligament itself, but to each other, thereby placing equal self-adjusted tension on the upper and lower eyelids. Both operations were successful and improved eating and eye closure functions, allowing resolution of the eye symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Semmelweis University, Mária u. 52, Budapest, Hungary. barabas@fok.usn.hu
authors.forename: József
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barabás
authors.forename: Gusztáv
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klenk
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Szabó
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lukáts
authors.forename: Sándor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bogdán
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Decker
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huszár
mesh_terms: D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000209:etiology; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000209:etiology; D005143:Eyelids / Q000601:surgery*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D019066:Facies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000601:surgery*