A supportive donor nerve for long-term facial paralysis: Anatomical analysis of the posterior auricular nerve and micro-anatomical comparison with zygomatic nerve

KARA M., Bitik O., ÜSTÜN G. G., Ulkir M., SARGON M. F., AKSU A. E.

JOURNAL OF PLASTIC RECONSTRUCTIVE AND AESTHETIC SURGERY, vol.75, no.2, pp.773-781, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 75 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.bjps.2021.09.049
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF PLASTIC RECONSTRUCTIVE AND AESTHETIC SURGERY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE
  • Page Numbers: pp.773-781
  • Keywords: Axon count, Facial nerve, Facial paralysis, Facial reanimation, Posterior auricular nerve, QUANTITATIVE-ANALYSIS, MYELINATED AXONS, MOTOR-NERVE, MUSCLE TRANSFER, GRAFT, PALSY, REGENERATION, REANIMATION, SUPERIOR, OUTCOMES
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Background: The posterior auricular nerve (PAN) is an inspiring candidate for the additional axonal source in long-term facial paralysis to improve the functional results of the cross-facial nerve (FN) graft technique. However, no studies have analyzed the PAN's axonal load and its microscopic anatomy to assess its utilization in facial reanimation. The present study aims to examine the anatomical and microscopic features of the PAN to analyze its feasibility as a donor nerve.