Author : Doychin N. Angelov
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3642181201
Total Pages : 154 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (421 download)
Book Synopsis Physical Rehabilitation of Paralysed Facial Muscles: Functional and Morphological Correlates by : Doychin N. Angelov
Download or read book Physical Rehabilitation of Paralysed Facial Muscles: Functional and Morphological Correlates written by Doychin N. Angelov and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-02-21 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using a combined morpho-functional approach the author recently found that polyinnervation of the neuro-muscular juction (NMJ) is the critical factor for recovery of function after transection and suture of the facial nerve. Since polyinnervation is activity-dependent and can be manipulated, he tried to design a clinically feasible therapy by electrical stimulation or by soft tissue massage. First, electrical stimulation was applied to the transected facial nerve or to paralysed facial muscles. Both procedures did not improve vibrissal motor performance (video-based motion analysis of whisking), failed to diminish polyinnervation and even reduced the number of innervated NMJ to one fifth of normal values. In contrast, gentle stroking of the paralysed vibrissal muscles by hand resulted in full recovery of whisking. Manual stimulation was also effective after hypoglossal-facial anastomosis and after interpositional nerve grafting. The author concludes that manual stimulation is a non-invasive procedure with immediate potential for clinical rehabilitation following facial nerve reconstruction.