Traumatic facial palsy: clinical and surgical evaluation

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Purpose: trauma is the second most common cause of facial paralysis and can be caused by iatrogenesis, by brain injury, blunt or cut facial injuries or gunshot injuries. Objective: to associate the cases of traumatic facial paralysis to the parameters of gender, age, type of accident and results of clinical and surgical treatment. Methods: retrospective analysis of 16 cases of Traumatic Peripheral Facial Paralysis in the period between 2004 and 2010 in the Conjunto Hospitalar de Sorocaba outpatient clinic. Results: concerning the gender, 81% were male; the group aged between 9 and 60 years; as for the type of trauma, 56.25% were related to an accident, 25% to an aggression assault and 19% were iatrogenic. Concerning the period between the accident and the patient's arrival to the clinic, 56.25% of the patients arrived between 7 and 10 days. The most frequent symptoms were otorrhagia (56.25%) and   paraesthesia of paralyzed hemiface (37.5%). Tinnitus and vertigo were present in 31.25% of the patients, 25% had otalgia, 12.5% had ear fullness and retro auricular pain was present in 12.5% of patients. Sixty two and a half percent of cases were submitted to clinical treatment and 31.25% to surgical treatment. Of those who were clinically treated, 7 out of 9 cases (77.7%) and, among the patients who underwent surgical decompression treatments or graft, 4 out of 5 cases (80%) achieved significant improvements. Conclusion: we observed the profiles of victims of traumatic facial paralysis, diagnosis and action to be taken in these cases as well as the results of treatment.