Reanimation surgery in patients with acquired bilateral facial palsy.
Acquired bilateral facial palsy is rare and causes difficulty with speech and eating, but dynamic reanimation of the face can reduce the effect of these problems. Of 712 patients who had these procedures during our study period, two had an acquired bilateral facial paralysis. In both, reanimation was completed in a single operation using a free-functional transfer of the latissimus dorsi muscle that was coapted to the masseteric branch of the trigeminal nerve. Both patients achieved excellent non-spontaneous excursion and an improvement in function. Careful evaluation of the available donor nerves including thorough examination and electromyographic testing should always be completed before operation.
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG. Electronic address: danielbutler@nhs.net.
D P
DP
Butler
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG.
K S
KS
Johal
Suite 2, 14 Queen Anne Street, London W1G 9LG.
D H
DH
Harrison
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG.
A O
AO
Grobbelaar
D000328:Adult; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064171:Superficial Back Muscles / Q000637:transplantation*; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000637:transplantation*
Facial palsy; Facial reanimation; Latissimus dorsi; Masseteric nerve