title: Facial movement before and after masseteric-facial nerves anastomosis: a three-dimensional optoelectronic pilot study.
abstract: To quantify the effects of facial palsy reanimation, 14 patients aged 17-66 years were analysed. All patients had unilateral facial paralysis, and were candidates for surgical masseteric to facial nerve anastomosis. Two patient groups were measured: seven patients were waiting for surgery, the other seven patients had already been submitted to surgery, and had regained facial mimicry. Each patient performed three facial animations: brow raise; free smile; lip purse. These were recorded using an optoelectronic motion analyser. The three-dimensional coordinates of facial landmarks were obtained, their movements were computed, and asymmetry indices calculated (differential movements between the two hemi-faces: healthy and paretic/rehabilitated). Before surgery, mobility was larger in the healthy than in the paretic side; after surgery, the differences were reduced (brow raise and lip purse), or even reversed (smile). Before surgery, lip purse was performed with significant labial asymmetry (p=0.042; larger healthy side movement). After surgery, asymmetry indices reduced. Total labial asymmetry during smiling was significantly different from 0 before surgery (p=0.018, larger healthy side movement). After surgery, all asymmetry indices became non-significant. Before surgery the lateral displacements of all labial landmarks were towards the healthy side, while they normalized after surgery.
authors.affiliation: Functional Anatomy Research Center (FARC), Laboratorio di Anatomia Funzionale dell'Apparato Stomatognatico (LAFAS), Laboratorio di Anatomia Funzionale dell'Apparato Locomotore (LAFAL), Dipartimento di Morfologia Umana e Scienze Biomediche Città Studi, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Mangiagalli 31, I-20133 Milano, Italy. chiarella.sforza@unimi.it
authors.forename: Chiarella
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sforza
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frigerio
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mapelli
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mandelli
authors.forename: Fernanda V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Sidequersky
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: Virgilio F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Ferrario
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Biglioli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D059925:Anatomic Landmarks / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D004576:Electromyography; D005138:Eyebrows / Q000502:physiology; D005146:Facial Asymmetry / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000601:surgery*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008046:Lip / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000294:innervation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D012904:Smiling / Q000502:physiology; D014741:Video Recording / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult