Facial nerve identification with fluorescent dye in rats

Area of Science:

• Surgical Innovation
• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Parotidectomy carries a high risk of facial nerve injury, leading to paresis or paralysis.
• Current techniques for facial nerve identification in parotid surgery have limitations.
• Fluorescent dyes have shown promise in experimental nerve visualization but are underutilized in parotidectomy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a fluorescent dye for intraoperative visualization and identification of the rat facial nerve.
• To assess if fluorescent dye-assisted dissection can prevent facial nerve injuries during parotidectomy.
• To determine the impact of fluorescent dye staining on nerve localization time and ease of identification.

Main Methods:

• Forty Wistar rats were divided into a saline control group (n=10) and a fluorescent dye group (n=30).
• Rats underwent facial injection followed by parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation.
• Nerve localization (LocTime, LFN) and function (Vibrissae Movements - PMV, Eyelid Closure Motion - PFP) were assessed.

Main Results:

• Facial nerve localization was significantly faster in the fluorescent dye group.
• The dye group achieved an 83% 'Easy LFN' rate, indicating high ease of identification.
• The fluorescent dye group demonstrated reduced nerve injury and superior PMV and PFP scores, with high accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Intraoperative fluorescence staining is an effective method for visualizing, identifying, and preserving the facial nerve during parotidectomy.
• This experimental technique shows potential for translation to human parotid surgery, aiming to optimize surgical outcomes.
• Further studies are warranted to explore the clinical application of fluorescent dyes in parotid surgery to minimize nerve damage.