Outcomes of Free Flap Transfer in Facial Reanimation: A Review

Eamon Shamil; Denise Jia Yun Tan; Adriaan Grobbelaar

doi:10.1055/s-0044-1779628

Outcomes of Free Flap Transfer in Facial Reanimation: A Review

Facial Plast Surg. 2024 Feb 9. doi: 10.1055/s-0044-1779628. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Eamon Shamil¹, Denise Jia Yun Tan², Adriaan Grobbelaar^{3

4

5}

Affiliations

¹ ENT Surgery Department, The Royal National ENT Hospital, University College London Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
² ENT Surgery Department, Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.
³ Department of Plastic Surgeon, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
⁴ Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College of London, London, United Kingdom.
⁵ Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Inselspital, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

PMID: 38336000
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1779628

Abstract

Free functional muscle transfer is is an option for reanimating the face in chronic facial nerve paralysis. The optimal outcome in these patients is the ability to restore a spontaneous smile in response to emotion. We discuss the role of free functional muscle transfer in facial paralysis treatment, the choices of nerve used in reconstruction surgery, and the application of different types of muscle flaps in facial reanimation. In this paper, we review the relevant and up-to-date academic literature regarding the outcomes of free functional muscle flap transfer in facial paralysis patients.