Facial nerve reconstruction.

A retrospective study on 21 patients who had a reconstruction of their facial nerve was undertaken by means of a new photographic method of evaluation. The average of recuperation results was 62.38 per cent. Eighty-five per cent of the patients achieved a good or excellent evaluation. The only individual parameter that showed some influence on the outcome of the surgery was the length of the graft. Compared with a short graft (smaller than or equal to 1 cm), the long graft (larger than or equal to 1 cm) is associated with better results. Good and excellent results appeared available for patients whose pre-operative palsy had lasted from 18 to 36 months.