Minimally invasive temporalis tendon transposition and upper lid lipofilling for immediate and secondary facial reanimation in patients treated for malignant tumors of the parotid gland.

Treatment for facial nerve-invading parotid malignancies usually results in complete facial palsy. The authors present a novel technique to treat facial palsy following radical parotid surgery and retrospectively evaluate results in terms of soft tissue symmetry at rest and during smiling and eyelid closure using the eFACE system. 9 patients with facial palsy following parotid malignancies resection or undergoing parotidectomy with planned facial nerve resection for tumor invasion were treated with the association of mini-invasive temporalis flap rotation and upper lid lipofilling to restore symmetry of the middle facial third at rest and during smiling and eyelid closure. The technique was employed during the same surgical session as the tumor removal or for secondary facial reanimation. Systematic eFACE evaluation demonstrated significant improvement in static nasolabial fold depth orientation and oral commissure position, palpebral fissure narrowing during eye closure, and oral commissure movement and nasolabial fold depth and orientation with smile (p respectively .008, .011, 0.008, 0.035, 0.011, 0.008, and 0.011, Wilcoxon's test). Furthermore, all patients described subjective improvement of corneal discomfort. The presented technique appears promising in treating facial palsy in oncological patients, representing a potential alternative to other more complex reconstructive techniques.