Millesi Elena, Nonnenbroich Leo F, Rechberger Julian S, Robertson Carrie E, Gibreel Waleed, Mardini Samir
Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Ann Plast Surg. 2025 Sep 1;95(3):327-337. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000004410. Epub 2025 May 28.
Facial synkinesis is characterized by involuntary co-contraction of facial muscles during voluntary movements, impairing both function and aesthetics following facial paralysis. It affects approximately 21% of individuals following Bell's palsy, with symptoms such as involuntary eye closure when smiling. While the pathophysiology remains unclear, therapeutic options range from conservative approaches like botulinum toxin to surgical interventions. A bibliometric analysis offers insights into research trends, key contributors, and knowledge gaps in this field.
A systematic search was conducted in the Scopus database up to July 2024, identifying 100 most-cited articles on facial synkinesis. Articles were categorized as basic science (BSc), clinical (CL), or review articles, with additional data extracted on study focus, journal type, citation metrics, and authorship. Statistical analyses included Pearson's χ 2 and Wilcoxon rank sum tests.
The articles spanned 1952-2020, with the highest publication frequency in 2017. Clinical studies constituted 76%, focusing on conservative treatments (35%), diagnostics (28%), and surgical interventions (19%). Plastic surgery and ENT journals accounted for 76% of publications. The most-cited article, published in neurology (1975), investigated electrophysiologic diagnostics. Citation metrics revealed a mean citation count of 38.3 and a median publication year of 2010. The 50 newer articles demonstrated a trend toward surgical management of synkinesis.
This bibliometric analysis highlights the evolution of research on facial synkinesis, emphasizing the predominance of clinical studies, focus on conservative treatments and gaps in basic science research. Further research is needed to fill knowledge gaps to improve outcomes for affected patients.
面部联动症的特征是在自主运动时面部肌肉不自主地共同收缩，对面部麻痹后的功能和美观均造成损害。贝尔面瘫后约21%的患者会出现这种情况，症状包括微笑时不自主闭眼等。虽然其病理生理学尚不清楚，但治疗选择范围从肉毒杆菌毒素等保守方法到手术干预。文献计量分析有助于深入了解该领域的研究趋势、主要贡献者和知识空白。
截至2024年7月，在Scopus数据库中进行了系统检索，确定了100篇关于面部联动症被引用次数最多的文章。文章分为基础科学（BSc）、临床（CL）或综述文章，并提取了关于研究重点、期刊类型、引用指标和作者信息的其他数据。统计分析包括Pearson卡方检验和Wilcoxon秩和检验。
这些文章发表于1952年至2020年期间，2017年的发表频率最高。临床研究占76%，重点是保守治疗（35%）、诊断（28%）和手术干预（19%）。整形外科学和耳鼻喉科学期刊占出版物的76%。被引用次数最多的文章发表于神经病学领域（1975年），研究了电生理诊断。引用指标显示平均引用次数为38.3，中位发表年份为2010年。50篇较新的文章显示出对面部联动症进行手术治疗的趋势。
这项文献计量分析突出了面部联动症研究的发展，强调了临床研究的主导地位以及对保守治疗的关注和基础科学研究的空白。需要进一步研究以填补知识空白，改善受影响患者的治疗效果。
