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Raymond L. Hilsinger, Jr, MD

Arch Surg. 2004;139:748.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Because facial nerve paralysis can have a devastating functional and psychological impact, accurate surgery involving the facial nerve is essential. Consequently, I appreciate the attempt of Pereira et al¹ to add to the literature on improving localization of the facial nerve. However, many limitations to their study relating to their assumptions, incision, measurements, and technique need to be mentioned.

The authors assume that the soft-tissue measurements obtained in fresh (n = 15) and formaldehyde-preserved (n = 25) cadaver dissections will be transferable to living patients. However, postmortem changes due to dehydration, gravity, and fixation will alter soft-tissue measurements^2-3 (B. J. Schmitt, MS, personal communication, December 2003).

The authors base their measurements on a triangle whose corners—the temporomandibular joint, the mastoid tip, and the angle of the mandible—they believe are easy to locate. However, reproducible placement of the needles the authors use to mark these corners . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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A Simple Method for Safe Identification of the Facial Nerve Using Palpable Landmarks
José A. Pereira, Alex Merí, José María Potau, Alberto Prats-Galino, Joan José Sancho, and Antonio Sitges-Serra
Arch Surg. 2004;139(7):745-747.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT