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The surgical management of bilateral facial paralysis: case report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2018

A Hardy ,
J Muzaffar ,
R Kumar  and
R Irving
A Hardy*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Birmingham, UK
J Muzaffar
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Birmingham, UK
R Kumar
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Birmingham, UK
R Irving
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Birmingham, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Mr Alistair Hardy, Department of Otolaryngology, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Mindelsohn Way, Birmingham B16 2GW, UK E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background

Unilateral total facial palsy is a debilitating condition that can affect an individual's physical, social and emotional wellbeing. When this occurs bilaterally, the severity of impact is extreme, with significant cosmetic disfigurement and functional morbidity. A variety of facial reanimation techniques have been used for unilateral facial weakness of varying House–Brackmann grades, and these are also applicable in bilateral cases. In bilateral cases, it is difficult to gauge successful improvement in comparison to the contralateral side, which also is afflicted.

Case report

This paper presents our experience with a bilateral facial paralysis patient who had a complex otological history. The patient, who presented with bilateral debilitating grade VI facial palsy, achieved a good result from bilateral facial reanimation with sequential hypoglossal–facial anastomosis. This is considered a reasonable option in cases of bilateral facial paralysis.

Keywords

AnastomosisSurgicalFacial ParalysisHypoglossal NerveFacial Nerve
Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 132 , Issue 9 , September 2018 , pp. 842 - 845
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited, 2018 

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Footnotes

Mr A Hardy takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

References

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