Temporalis Tendon Transfer/Lengthening Temporalis Myoplasty for Midfacial Static and Dynamic Reanimation After Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery

Facial Plast Surg Aesthet Med. 2021 Jan-Feb;23(1):31-35. doi: 10.1089/fpsam.2020.0069. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Abstract

Importance: Facial nerve paralysis is an unfortunate, yet relatively common sequela in the treatment of head and neck cancer. Static options for reanimation of the paralyzed midface and oral commissure offer limited quality-of-life improvement and may stretch over time. Reinnervation offers a prolonged recovery and may not be possible among patients with advanced cancer or in salvage situations. Objective: To determine the improvement in resting tone and dynamic excursion gained by use of temporalis tendon transfer (TTT) and lengthening temporalis myoplasty (LTM) for facial nerve reanimation among patients undergoing oncologic head and neck cancer surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants: We present the largest series of primary and secondary TTT operations with prolonged photographic and video-based data with analysis enabled by FaceGram open-source quantitative methodology. This was achieved using preoperative and postoperative digital photographs of each patient at rest and full smile excursion. Using the JAVA-based program Facegram v1.0, measurements were taken of the oral commissure in relation to a line tangent to the inferior border of the lower lip. All operations were performed at the University of California, San Francisco, following oncologic resections between April 2011 and June 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures: Quantitative analysis of facial measurement with Facegram. Results: Of the 32 patients in our series, 19 (59.4%) were male and 13 (40.6%) were female. The average age was 71.3 ± 10 years. There was a mean 4.89 mm (p < 0.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.78-6.99) increase in height of affected side oral commissure compared with preoperative measurements during full smile excursion, and a 3.05 mm (p < 0.04, 95% CI: 0.22-5.87) increase in horizontal excursion of smile vector. There was also a significant increase in static support at rest, measuring an average of 5.45 mm (p < 0.01, 95% CI: 2.56-8.33) and 2.71 mm (p < 0.04, 95% CI: 0.18-5.25) increase in affected oral commissure vertical and horizontal positions at rest, respectively. The average postoperative follow-up was 11.4 months (95% CI: 5.6-14.11). In addition, when compared with patients treated with postoperative radiation therapy (9 patients), those who received preoperative radiation (15 patients) had a significant improvement in the resting vertical height of the affected side (mean 5.32 mm (p < 0.05, 95% CI: 0.06-10.57)). Conclusions and Relevance: These findings encourage the use of TTT/LTM for facial nerve paralysis in appropriately selected head and neck oncologic patients.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Facial Expression
  • Facial Paralysis / surgery*
  • Female
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Photography
  • Plastic Surgery Procedures / methods*
  • Postoperative Complications / surgery*
  • Smiling
  • Temporal Muscle / surgery*
  • Tendon Transfer / methods*
  • Tenotomy / methods*
  • Video Recording