Professor Park Junho of Boramae Hospital Confirms Effectiveness of 'Dual Nerve Latissimus Dorsi Transfer' for Facial Paralysis Treatment

Professor Park Junho, Department of Plastic Surgery, Boramae Hospital.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Seoul National University Hospital-operated Seoul Metropolitan Boramae Medical Center announced on the 9th that Professor Park Junho of the Department of Plastic Surgery confirmed the effectiveness of the 'dual nerve coaptation latissimus dorsi muscle transfer' for the treatment of facial nerve paralysis in a recent study.

The joint research team, including Professor Park Junho from Seoul National University Hospital, Professor Park Seong-o from Hanyang University Hospital's Department of Plastic Surgery, and Professor Jang Hak from Seoul National University Hospital's Department of Plastic Surgery, retrospectively analyzed patient data who visited the plastic surgery department of Seoul National University Hospital for unilateral facial paralysis treatment and underwent surgery from March 2016 to February 2019, comparing prognostic differences according to surgical methods.

The study results confirmed that compared to the 'single nerve coaptation' method, which connects only the masseter nerve (jaw muscle nerve) on the paralyzed facial side to the thoracodorsal nerve, the 'dual nerve coaptation' method, which connects both the masseter nerve and the nerve branch from the opposite normal facial side, showed superior effects in terms of surgical prognosis.

In particular, most patients who underwent latissimus dorsi muscle transfer using either single or dual nerve coaptation recovered a smile to an artificial level one year after surgery; however, patients who regained a natural and spontaneous smile were only observed in some of the group that underwent the dual nerve coaptation. The research team explained that the dual nerve coaptation latissimus dorsi muscle transfer has superior effects on facial nerve paralysis reconstruction outcomes.

Professor Park Junho stated, "Through this study, we confirmed that the dual nerve latissimus dorsi muscle transfer, which connects both the masseter nerve on the paralyzed facial side and the nerve branch from the opposite normal facial nerve to the thoracodorsal nerve, has a positive effect on restoring a natural smile in facial paralysis patients compared to the conventional single nerve transfer." He added, "If further research on this surgical technique is conducted, it is expected to be considered an optimal treatment option for the daily recovery of patients suffering from facial paralysis."

The study results were published last month in the SCI-level international journal, Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery.

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