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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Facial Nerve Surgery in the Rat Model to Study Axonal Inhibition and Regeneration
Published on: May 5, 2020
Masseteric nerve supercharge bypass in primary reconstruction of facial nerve
Petr Vachata1,2, Stepanka Brusakova3, Jan Lodin4
1Department of Neurosurgery, Masaryk Hospital, J. E, Purkyně University, Socialni pece 3316/12A, 40113, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic. vachata@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Facial paralysis is a severe disease and presents a formidable treatment challenge. A wide variety of surgical procedures are available with limited evidence. Major risk factors of suboptimal recovery include the duration of paralysis as well as higher age. In this paper, we demonstrate reconstruction of the facial nerve via an intratemporal end-to-end anastomosis and concomitant transfer of an intact masseteric nerve to the side of facial nerve trunk. The supercharge (reverse end-to-side) transfer resulted in preservation of target muscles and faster recovery. Masseteric supercharge bypass may be an acceptable surgical technique to restore muscle function in potentially higher risk cases.
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