Facial reanimation with jump interpositional graft hypoglossal facial anastomosis and hypoglossal facial anastomosis: evolution in management of facial paralysis.

When viable proximal facial nerve is inacessible, facial nerve paralysis has been classically managed with the hypoglossal facial anastomosis (HFA) for at least the past 70 years. While this procedure has proven its reliability, its problems with hemilingual atrophy (speech deglutition, drooling, mastication), hypertonia, synkinesis, and mimetic deficits indicate the need for a more perfect solution for facial paralysis. The jump interpositional graft hypoglossal facial anastomosis (JIGHFA) along with gold weight lid implantation and electromyographic (EMG) rehabilitation achieves substantial facial reanimation without hemilingual deficits. We present our results in 18 patients who underwent JIGHFA along with gold weight lid implantation and EMG rehabilitation for facial paralysis. These results were compared with those from published series of 30 patients treated with HFA with EMG rehabilitation evaluated with objective (House-Brackmann) criteria. Anonymous retrospective information from questionnaires from 22 of 48 patients who were treated with the classic HFA was also presented. In properly selected patients, the JIGHFA technique is capable of achieving substantial facial reinnervation (House-Brackmann grade III or better) in 83.3% of the patients without hemilingual sequelae which was seen in 45% of the HFA patients. In contrast to the HFA, this procedure can be used by patients with concomitant lower cranial nerve paralysis (except hypoglossal), and bilateral facial paralysis. Hypertonia, synkinesis, and lagophthalmus were less symptomatic in the JIGHFA patients. Mimetic expression was not improved in the JIGHFA population compared with the HFA group.