New surgery technique gives hope for facial paralysis

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A new surgical technique combined with physical therapy can help restore movement in patients who have suffered facial paralysis, US research suggested on Tuesday.

A technique known as temporalis tendon transfer showed good results in seven patients who opted for the surgical-therapeutic technique, according to the study by medical researchers at John Hopkins University in Maryland.

The operation consists of making a three to four centimeter (one-1.5 inch) incision from the ear into the hairline, near the temple.

The surgeon then cuts the temporalis muscle meets the jawbone, and reattaches it to the place where the mouth muscles join together.

The tendon that previously connected the temporalis muscle to the jawbone is cut free,...