BACKGROUND Hypoglossal-facial anastomosis is the gold standard treatment for facial reanimation in those cases where the facial nerve has been damaged near the brainstem. The technique that requires temporal bone drilling and partial section of the hypoglossal nerve is usually preferred. This technique diminishes tongue morbidity while preserves good facial reanimation. The goal of the present ...

Nerve transfer procedures have the potential to restore innervation and function native facial musculature. This review summarizes existing literature on nerve injury, regeneration, reinnervation techniques with a focus its various options. Utilizing as early possible, ideally during first 12 months of paralysis, is recommended. Prolonged paralysis frequently not amenable transfer. The masseter...

AIM To determine the stimulation site of both facial and hypoglossal nerves after transcranial magnetic stimulation. METHODS After surgical exposure of the brainstem in 22 patients with intrinsic pontine (n=9) or medullary (n=13) tumors, the facial colliculus and the hypoglossal triangle were electrically stimulated. The EMG responses were recorded with flexible wire electrodes from the orbic...

The facial nerve is the most frequently damaged nerve in head and neck trauma. Patients undergoing facial nerve reconstruction often complain about disturbing abnormal synkinetic movements of the facial muscles (mass movements, synkinesis) which are thought to result from misguided collateral branching of regenerating motor axons and reinnervation of inappropriate muscles. Here, we examined whe...

BACKGROUND Intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) has many applications in different surgical fields. In head and neck surgery, IONM has been used to perform surgery of the parotid, thyroid and parathyroid glands, preserving the facial and recurrent nerves. However, hypoglossal nerve neuromonitoring has not been addressed with such relevance. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective review of sur...

Extraocular motoneurons resist degeneration in diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The main objective of the present work was to characterize the presence of neurotrophins in extraocular motoneurons and muscles of the adult rat. We also compared these results with those obtained from other cranial motor systems, such as facial and hypoglossal, which indeed suffer neurodegeneration. ...

Hypoglossal nerve palsy is not common in literature, especially its physiotherapy assessment and management. We described a case of a 53 year old woman who presented clinically with right sided atrophy of the tongue, ipsilateral deviation and fasciculation, a speech defect, inability to swallow solids, and difficulty in swallowing fluid as a result of one year history of hypoglossal nerve palsy...

When a viable proximal facial nerve is not accessible, facial nerve paralysis has been managed with hypoglossal facial anastomosis, which results in varying degrees of hemiglossal atrophy and its sequelae. These authors have used the masseteric nerve to neurotize the facial nerve in one patient.

THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES Occipital condyle fracture (OCF) is a rare injury that was first described by Bell in 1817. In fact, there have been only 96 more reported cases of occipital condyle fractures from 1817 to 1994 of which only 58 survived.1 Occipital condyle fractures can sometimes go unnoticed or under-diagnosed as they are not always evident on plain radiographs of ...