Home-based Functional Electrical Stimulation for Treatment of Patients with Facial Nerve Paralysis

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Peripheral facial paralysis causes loss of facial muscle contractility, leading to atrophy and asymmetry.
• Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a potential therapeutic approach for facial paralysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a 1-year home-based FES training program for peripheral facial paralysis.
• To define optimal stimulation parameters for FES in treating facial muscle dysfunction.

Main Methods:

• Ten patients with peripheral facial paralysis underwent twice-daily FES home training for one year.
• Stimulation parameters, including phase duration (PD) and frequency, were systematically adjusted.
• Selective muscle response was achieved by optimizing PD and amplitude.

Main Results:

• All 10 patients achieved a specific response to FES.
• Mean phase duration (PD) was significantly reduced (155.0±55.0 to 51.0±12.4 msec).
• Mean stimulation frequency increased (1.3±0.5 to 5.0±1.5 Hz), and voltage increased (16.2±2.5 to 27.2±5.9 V) with reduced PD.
• A PD of ≥25 ms elicited a selective response without off-target muscle activation.

Conclusions:

• FES training, with adjusted stimulation parameters, can improve functional outcomes in peripheral facial paralysis.
• Optimized FES parameters prevent denervation atrophy and reduce facial asymmetry.
• This study provides evidence for effective FES parameter adjustments in home-based rehabilitation for facial paralysis.