Facial Reanimation Using Cranial Nerves XI to VII Anastomosis Without Shoulder Paralysis

Abstract

Drs Dennis S. Poe, Burlington, Mass; Natan Scher, San Antonio, Tex; and William R. Panje, Chicago, Ill, reported at the recent meeting of the Eastern section of The Triological Society in Toronto, Canada, on January 27, 1989, on a feasibility study to determine if the 11th cranial nerve could be used in lieu of the 12th cranial nerve for reanastomosis with the seventh cranial nerve to restore facial function. Twenty-one neck dissections were performed on cadavers to determine the distribution and length of the 11th cranial nerve. They also transected the seventh cranial nerve at the stylomastoid foramen. The nerve sections were taken from both the seventh and the 11th cranial nerves for light microscopy and histologic examination. In those dissections, they were able to anatomically define the 11th cranial nerve and its relationships to the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the auricular nerve, and the cervical plexus. They noted that, when necessary, they