Electrical stimulation facilitates rat facial nerve recovery from a crush injury.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of electrical stimulation on accelerating facial nerve functional recovery from a crush injury in the rat model.


METHODS
Experimental.


METHODS
The main trunk of the right facial nerve was crushed just distal to the stylomastoid foramen, causing right-sided facial paralysis in 17 Sprague-Dawley rats. An electrode apparatus was implanted in all rats. Nine rats underwent electrical stimulation and eight were sham stimulated until complete facial nerve recovery. Facial nerve function was assessed daily by grading eyeblink reflex, vibrissae orientation, and vibrissae movement.


RESULTS
An electrical stimulation model of the rat facial nerve following axotomy was established. The semi-eyeblink returned significantly earlier (3.71 + 0.97 vs 9.57 + 1.86 days post axotomy) in stimulated rats (P = 0.008). Stimulated rats also recovered all functions earlier, and showed less variability in recovery time.


CONCLUSIONS
Electrical stimulation initiates and accelerates facial nerve recovery in the rat model as it significantly reduces recovery time for the semi-eyeblink reflex, a marker of early recovery. It also hastens recovery of other functions.
Lal
Devyani
D
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL 60153, USA. dlal@lumc.edu
Hetzler
Laura T
LT
Sharma
Nijee
N
Wurster
Robert D
RD
Marzo
Sam J
SJ
Jones
Kathryn J
KJ
Foecking
Eileen M
EM
D000818:Animals; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D020220:Facial Nerve Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology