Sunday, October 8, 2006
10272

Treatment of Facial Palsy Using Botulinum Toxin

Taro Kono, MD, Hiroyuki Sakurai, Masaki Takeuchi, Motohiro Nozaki, and Ali Riza Ercocen, MD.

Objectives: Paralysis of the facial nerve has a devastating psychological impact on the affected individual. Various surgical approaches have been used in treatment of facial palsy, but all these methods produce postoperative scarring and patient's satisfaction is not always high. Therefore, alternative or additional treatment options such as non-surgical treatment for facial palsy would be of value. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the botulinum toxin for treatment of facial palsy with less adverse effects. Materials and Methods: 5 patients with facial palsy were recruited for this study. Two patients were congenital and 3 patients were acquired. A total of 10 to 15 U of botulinum toxin A was in injected in the non-paralyzed side. Patients were called back to the hospital within two months after their treatment. Results: The improvement of congenital facial palsy patients was significant. Average improvement of the height of angle of mouth is 52.9%. Conclusions: Botulinum toxin A effaces rhytides by selective and precise focal paralysis of the underlying facial musculature and, therefore, reduces or eliminates the asymmetry caused by facial palsy. Botulinum toxin A can be used in the treatment of facial palsy patients with minimum invasive technique.
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