A comparative retrospective study: hypoglossofacial versus masseterofacial nerve anastomosis using Sunnybrook facial...

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Plastic Surgery
• Facial Nerve Surgery

Background:

• Facial paralysis significantly impacts quality of life.
• Surgical reanimation aims to restore facial symmetry and function.
• Nerve anastomosis techniques are crucial for successful facial reanimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare functional outcomes of hypoglossal-to-facial versus masseteric-to-facial nerve anastomosis for facial paralysis.
• To evaluate the efficacy of two distinct surgical reanimation techniques.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 13 patients with complete facial paralysis.
• Patients underwent either masseteric-to-facial or hypoglossofacial nerve anastomosis.
• Functional results assessed using the Sunnybrook facial grading system; statistical analysis via Mann-Whitney test.

Main Results:

• No significant statistical difference in overall functional scores between the two groups.
• Hypoglossofacial anastomosis group experienced hemilingual atrophy.
• Masseteric-to-facial showed slight superiority in dynamic movements; hypoglossofacial in resting symmetry, without statistical significance.

Conclusions:

• Both hypoglossal-to-facial and masseteric-to-facial nerve anastomosis are effective for facial paralysis reanimation.
• Masseteric-to-facial nerve anastomosis is recommended to avoid hemilingual atrophy and associated complications.