NERVE ANASTOMOSIS IN THE TREATMENT OF FACIAL PARALYSIS

Abstract

"WHEN a patient desires operative interference for the relief of the deformity, the surgeon should be able to communicate to the patient as accurate a knowledge as possible of the extent of recovery, partial or complete, which the operation offers." This dictum was communicated to Robert Kennedy by Sir Charles Ballance¹in a discussion of results in spinofacial anastomosis. We are presenting this survey of 87 cases of unilateral facial paralysis in which spinofacial nerve anastomosis was performed at the Mayo Clinic from Jan. 1, 1926 to Jan. 1, 1949, inclusive. The causative factor for the facial paralysis in 41 cases was the surgical treatment of neurofibroma of the cerebellopontile angle (acoustic neurofibroma), the facial nerve having been injured or sacrificed by necessity in the removal of the tumor. Surgical treatment of mastoid infection accounted for 25 cases and head injury with basal fracture for 7 cases. Surgical interruption