Nimodipine and acceleration of functional recovery of the facial nerve after crush injury.
OBJECTIVE
To establish whether nimodipine, a calcium channel blocker, accelerates or otherwise improves functional recovery of whisking after facial nerve crush injury in the rat.


METHODS
Thirty rats underwent exposure of the left main trunk of the facial nerve followed by a standard crush injury and subsequent quantitative facial movement testing. Animals were randomized into an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). Four days prior to facial nerve manipulation, experimental animals underwent subcutaneous implantation of a nimodipine-secreting pellet. All animals were tested preoperatively and on postoperative days 2, 8 to 17, 20, 22, 24, and 31 using a validated, quantitative whisking kinematics apparatus. Whisks were analyzed for amplitude, velocity, and acceleration.


RESULTS
Animals receiving nimodipine demonstrated significantly better whisking on 5 days (postoperative days 9, 11 to 13, and 20) compared with control animals (P < .001, P = .003, P = .009, P = .009, and P = .009, respectively; 1-tailed ttest). Overall, the nimodipine-treated animals showed earlier recovery compared with the untreated animals.


CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrate that nimodipine improves recovery of whisking after facial nerve crush. This finding corroborates the semiquantitative findings of others, and provides complete whisking kinematic data on its effects. Given the low adverse effect profile of nimodipine, there may be clinical implications in its administration in patients experiencing facial nerve injury.
Lindsay
Robin W
RW
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. robin_lindsay@meei.harvard.edu
Heaton
James T
JT
Edwards
Colin
C
Smitson
Christopher
C
Hadlock
Tessa A
TA
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020220:Facial Nerve Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D009553:Nimodipine