Principles and clinical application of micronerve surgery and nerve transplantation in the maxillofacial area.

Modern microsurgery techniques using perineural interfascicular-nerve suturing permit successful nerve reconstruction in tumor defects and injuries of the maxillo-facial area. Since 1972 we have concentrated on nerve grafts and reconstructed the facial, accessory, hypoglossal, lingual, and mandibular nerves. In all cases, exclusively autologous nerve grafts were used; as donor nerves we found the great auricular and sural nerves especially suitable. Along with typical examples of the different nerve defects in the maxillofacial surgery, our technique in these special nerve transplantation procedures is described.