Facial palsy treatment series for children V: surgical reconstruction of the corners of the mouth and upper lip

  After facial palsy, the most obvious manifestations are asymmetry of the corners of the mouth when quiet, inability to smile, and drooling on the affected side. Reconstructive surgery for the corners of the mouth and upper lip is the most complex and challenging.  1. Static suspension. The corners of the mouth and upper lip are tractioned to a satisfactory position by suspension materials including tendons, fascia, and allograft materials (Gore-Tex, etc.).  2.Direct neuralization. The trans-facial nerve graft is directly embedded in the orbicularis muscle, and the smile amplitude is improved by about 1/3 after surgery.  3.Transfacial nerve graft. The transfacial nerve graft is usually selected from the peroneal nerve, which is about 15-20 cm long and taken from the lower leg. One end of the trans-facial nerve graft is anastomosed to the non-major functional facial nerve branch on the healthy side, and the other end is temporarily placed near the upper lip on the facial palsy side, and then anastomosed to the nerve trunk on the facial palsy side during the second surgery 9-12 months later to restore the nerve function. Because of the 12-month waiting period in between, some patients may need to use nanny surgery at the same time as the first surgery to temporarily maintain facial muscle strength and prevent atrophy.  4. Temporalis-tendon transfer. Through an intraoral incision, the temporalis muscle-tendon is relocated toward the orbicularis oris muscle and fixed in the corners of the mouth and upper and lower lips. The surgery is less invasive and has exact efficacy, but it cannot restore the autonomous smile. Postoperative facial expression has to be achieved through expression training.  5. Free femoral thin muscle graft. (See preoperative instructions: facial palsy reconstructive surgery series: free femoral thin muscle transplantation)