Emory Facial Nerve Program

This wonderful patient developed severe synkinesis with reinnervation following complicated parotid surgery. She underwent a combination of right-sided facial neurectomies and myectomies with a drastic improvement in her synkinesis severity, dynamic symmetry, eyelid narrowing and smile. She is only 1 month post-op so we are excited to see how she progresses.

4th annual Advanced Resident Head & Neck Reconstruction Bootcamp was a success! Special thanks to our 5 visiting faculty H&N reconstructive surgeons for sharing their time and knowledge with 12 aspiring head and neck microsurgeons.

Enjoyed seeing some old colleagues, as well as meeting new ones today at the annual meeting. We discussed facial reanimation strategies in patients with skull base pathology.

Post-op progress update: This wonderful lady suffered from severe left-sided facial synkinesis and smile asymmetry following Bell’s palsy for nearly 13 years prior to presenting to our program. She underwent targeted facial neurectomies and myectomies nearly 6 months ago. She has had a dramatic improvement in her smile in terms of upper dental show and lower lip symmetry. The dimpling in her chin and platysmal banding in her neck have also disappeared. It’s never too late to get better.

This wonderful lady suffered from severe right-sided facial paralysis following treatment for an acoustic neuroma. She underwent a series of nerve transfers, cross facial nerve grafting and Botox with a dramatic improvement in her facial tone, eye closure and smile. Facial paralysis resulting from acoustic tumor treatment should prompt early referral to a facial nerve expert so surgical intervention can be timely planned if indicated.

This wonderful lady suffered from severe right-sided facial synkinesis and smile asymmetry following Bell’s palsy for 25 years prior to presenting to our program. She underwent targeted facial neurectomies and myectomies as well as Botox treatment and facial neuromuscular retraining with a dramatic improvement in her smile and synkinesis. She is just 4 months postop so we are excited to see how she continues to improve. It’s never too late to get better.

This wonderful gentleman suffered from severe right-sided facial synkinesis and smile asymmetry following surgery for an acoustic neuroma. He underwent targeted facial neurectomies and myectomies for his smile deformity and Botox treatments around the eye with a dramatic improvement in his smile and synkinesis. It’s never too late to get better.

This wonderful lady suffered from severe left-sided facial synkinesis and smile asymmetry following Bell’s palsy for nearly 13 years prior to presenting to our program. She underwent targeted facial neurectomies and myectomies with a dramatic improvement in her smile and synkinesis. She is just 3 weeks postop and we are excited to see her progress over the coming year. It’s never too late to get better.

This wonderful lady suffered from severe right-sided facial synkinesis and smile deformity following Bell’s palsy for nearly 12 years prior to presenting to our program. She underwent targeted facial neurectomies and myectomies as well as Botox treatment with a dramatic improvement in her smile and synkinesis.

This wonderful lady suffered from severe facial synkinesis and smile asymmetry following Bell’s palsy for nearly 15 years prior to presenting to our program. She underwent targeted facial neurectomies and myectomies as well as Botox treatment with a dramatic improvement in her smile and synkinesis. It’s never too late to get better.

In a recent blog for the American Head and Neck Society, I covered facial paralysis resulting from perineural spread (PNS) of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (cSCCHN). A high index of clinical suspicion is critical for detection and prompt treatment. Most cases present with indolent, progressively worsening facial paralysis +/- facial numbness or pain over the span of weeks to months. This presentation distinguishes PNS-related facial palsy from causes of benign paralysis such as Bell’s palsy or Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, which progress to complete paralysis within 72 hours. Adding to the diagnostic dilemma, many patients may not report a history of cSCCHN excision or may have a very remote history of excision. Swipe right to see a histologic photo of malignant neural infiltration by squamous cancer cells. Full post can be read using the address below.


https://www.ahns.info/malignant-facial-palsy-in-the-setting-of-cutaneous-head-and-neck-squamous-cell-carcinoma/

This wonderful patient underwent targeted facial myectomies, Botox injections and neuromuscular retraining to treat her right-sided facial synkinesis and spasms. She has made dramatic improvements in her facial function as well as symmetry.