The management of facial paralysis due to extracranial injuries

Improvements in surgical capabilities in the management of malignancies about the ear and parotid gland, increasing vehicular and interpersonal trauma, and greater concern with cosmetic factors by the public at large, have led to increasing need for the surgeon's ability to manage injuries to the facial nerve. Several important anatomic, physiologic and technical factors bear upon a logical approach to repair of such facial nerve injuries. Careful attention to these concepts had led to satisfactory return of facial function in most cases managed by the author.