Effect of ligating peripheral branches on facial nerve regeneration.

Bilateral transection and reanastomosis of the main trunk of the facial nerve was performed on 18 rats. On one side of each rat, all peripheral branches except the mandibular branch were ligated with silk suture and divided distal to the ligatures. Axon counts after 1, 3, and 6 months showed a statistically significant increase in the number of axons in both the mandibular branch and the main trunk on the side with the peripheral ligation. These data indicate that peripheral branch ligation is a useful adjunct in facial nerve rehabilitation.