Poster 28: What Factors Are Associated With Achieving Functional Sensory Return Following Lingual Nerve Repair?

Abstract

Most patients with postoperative lingual nerve injuries spontaneously recover.1 For patients with persistent neurosensory deficits, operative repair of the nerve has proven effective.2 The duration of monitoring and indications for surgical referral, however, are controversial. The purpose of this study was to answer the following clinical question: “Among patients who undergo operative treatment of lingual nerve injuries, which factors are associated with achieving functional sensory recovery (FSR)?” The authors hypothesize that there will be identifiable factors associated with achieving FSR that can be manipulated to enhance neurosensory recovery. The specific aims of this study were: 1) to develop and implement a retrospective cohort study and to enroll a sample of subjects who underwent operative repair of lingual nerve injuries; 2) to estimate the rate of FSR following microsurgical repair of lingual nerve injuries; 3) to use a multiple logistic regression model to identify factors associated with FSR; and 4) to develop a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model to identify factors associated with time to FSR.