Facial nerve grafts: effects of postoperative irradiation

Six patients with cancers arising in the parotid region were treated with surgery and postoperative irradiation. All cases had extensive resections with sacrifice of the seventh nerve and primary autogenous cable graft repair. Four of the six patients had good to excellent dynamic function at 18 months; the fifth case had fair mimetic function with ability to close the eye and protect the cornea, and the final case failed to demonstrate any function at one year, but was found to have recurrent tumor at the skull base.