Table 1 Classification of facial palsy and guidelines for their surgical reanimation (modified after [4])
Classification | Comments |
|---|---|
A. Congenital | Â |
A.1 syndromal A.2 non-syndromal | Mostly nerve plasty not possible; cortical deficits hinder additional mimic and physical training. |
B. Acquired | Â |
B.1 traumatic B.1.1 extracranial B.1.2 intracranial | Trauma: Exact localisation of lesion site mandatory. Acute nerve reconstruction only superior to conservative treatment in case of complete palsy. |
B.2 tumourous B.2.1 extracranial B.2.1.1 benign | Tumour: Prognosis quoad vitam must be considered: prefer fast rehabilitation techniques. |
B.2.1.2 malignant | Â |
B.2.2 intracranial B.2.2.1 benign B.2.2.2 malignant | Intracranial: Reconstruction strategy without co-adaptation of the proximal facial nerve stump often the better choice. |
B.3 infectious B.3.1 acute B.3.2 chronic | Infectious: Causal therapy in front, wait for reconstruction surgery after complete healing and look on remaining deficits. |
B.4 neuromuscular B.4.1 Endplate region B.4.2 ganglional B.4.3 axonal | Neuromuscular: Domain of conservative neurologic treatment. |