Facial Nerve Paralysis Surgery

The facial nerve paralysis corrective procedure is aimed at repairing the loss of nerve action due to congenital factors, tumors, trauma or degenerative aspects (such as pathologies or infections). If the nerves are not stimulated, the fiber muscles are also not stimulated, resulting in a loss of muscle action and movement. Sometimes, there is nothing wrong with the nerve; the problem is with the muscle.

The facial nerve is the 7th of 12 cranial nerves. It emerges from the brain stem and goes through a complex route to reach the muscles of facial expression including raising the eyebrows and closing the eyelids. Facial nerve paralysis may be congenital or acquired. Acquired causes include infection (Bell's Palsy), vascular lesions, tumours (acoustic neuroma, parotid gland or temporal bone tumour) or trauma (birth, temporal bone fracture). The facial paralysis usually affects one half of the face. Patients with facial nerve paralysis develop a flattening of the affected half of the face with loss of forehead wrinkles, inability to whistle and a dragged appearance of the opposite corner of the mouth. Eye symptoms include eyebrow drooping, elevation or retraction of the upper eyelid, sagging and ectropion (outward turning of the lid margin) of the lower eyelid, watering, lagophthalmos (inability to close the eye), and exposure keratopathy (drying of the cornea ). Surgical procedures may be advised for facial nerve paralysis based on each individual case. The primary aim of the facial nerve paralysis treatment is to protect the cornea (coloured part of the eye) since it may undergo drying due to poor lid closure and thus affect the eye sight. The other reason for a surgical facial nerve paralysis procedure is to reduce eye watering.

The facial nerve paralysis corrective procedure has been efficiently treating facial paralysis due to amputations of muscle and skin, following trauma or tumor, including skin, nerve and muscle. These areas will be replaced by muscles and covered with skin, recovering the functional aspects of the muscle and skin sensitivity.

Skin and muscles will be taken from the dorsum and the muscle used will be the big dorsal muscle, which permits more muscle segments to be connected to the same artery, vein and nerve, providing facial reanimation.

The veins, nerves and arteries will be dealt with a microscope and materials specifically destined for reconstructive micro surgery. This facial nerve paralysis corrective procedure can be performed at any time, as long as it has the correct indication. Each case of facial nerve paralysis is a different situation and requires a careful evaluation of risks and benefits

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Reconstructive Microsurgery