Rehabilitation of the face following traumatic injury to the facial nerve.

Etiology, diagnosis, and surgical management of facial paralysis due to traumatic injury of the VIIth cranial nerve are discussed. Sixty patients are reviewed who underwent some type of surgical procedure for the repair of the facial nerve. These cases are categorized according to etiology, which includes temporal bone fractures, iatrogenic injuries, and penetrating wounds of the head and neck. The results of a poll of eight leading otologists on their approaches to several aspects of the surgical management of these injuries are presented in the Discussion section. The diagnostic and prognostic studies associated with facial paralysis, as well as the more common surgical procedures available for repair of the facial nerve, are briefly reviewed.