Facial paralysis, etiology and surgical treatment in a tertiary care center in plastic and reconstructive surgery in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Facial paralysis is a frequent disabling entity that causes a negative impact on the cosmetic, functional, social, psychological and economic aspects of the patient. Surgical treatment aims to restore the patient to her previous life with the fewest possible sequelae.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the experience of surgical management and propose a treatment algorithm.

METHOD: A retrospective study was carried out from 2017 to 2019 of the records of patients with facial nerve involvement. The variables were age, sex, etiology, affected side and procedures performed.

RESULTS: 108 patients were obtained. The most frequent cause was development facial paralysis (41,8%), followed by resection of intracranial tumors (29%). A total of 225 procedures were performed, average per patient of 2.7. The most performed dynamic procedure was the gracilis-free flap (59%). The most frequent static procedures were the placement of a gold weight (24%) and the recreation of the nasogenian sulcus (13%).

CONCLUSIONS: The surgical treatment algorithm will depend on the evolution time, etiology, donor nerves and state of the facial musculature. The gracilis-free flap continues to be the gold standard procedure in facial paralysis reconstruction. Static procedures are additionally required to achieve a satisfactory aesthetic and functional result.