A new surgical technique enables smiling in patients with facial paralysis

A new study describes a novel surgical technique used to treat Moebius syndrome, a rare congenital condition leading to inability to smile, oral incompetence, and significant impact in social engagement. The study is published in Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine. Click here to read the article now.

Babak Azizzadeh, MD, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Center for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery, and coauthors, present a novel method for utilizing ipsilateral facial nerve for motor innervation of gracilis free functional muscle transfer (FFMT) in select patients with Moebius syndrome who clinically demonstrate residual facial nerve activity.

“This is the first study to identify intraoperative residual facial nerve activity accounting for movement in Moebius patients with ‘full,’ bilateral paralysis,” state the investigators. In addition, “this is the first description of residual ipsilateral facial nerve powered gracilis FFMT in children with Moebius and bilateral paralysis leading to spontaneous, symmetric smile.”

Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine Editor-in-Chief Travis T. Tollefson, MD, MPH, University of California, Davis, states: "This video submission to FPSAM joins others in this last year to depict a nuanced improvement in surgically creating a smile in a child or adult who cannot move their face. These authors and others use artful enhancements of donor nerve choices, muscle vector, and soft tissue adjustments, as they inch closer to the seemingly unattainable natural, spontaneous smile, congruent with the person’s emotive state.”

About the Journal
Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine is a multispecialty peer-reviewed journal with the key mission of providing physicians with the most accurate and innovative information in the discipline of reconstructive and cosmetic facial plastic interventions. Led by Editor-in-Chief Travis T. Tollefson, MD, MPH, University of California, Davis, the Journal publishes significant peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery of the head and neck. Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine is the official publication of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Inc., the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery, and the International Federation of Facial Plastic Surgery Societies. For more information and a sample issue, please visit the Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine website.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a global media company dedicated to creating, curating, and delivering impactful peer-reviewed research and authoritative content services to advance the fields of biotechnology and the life sciences, specialized clinical medicine, and public health and policy. For complete information, please visit the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website.