Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39443389›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2025

Surgery for facial palsy in the hands of otorhinolaryngologists: a population-based study.

Elisabeth Alberts, Jonas Ballmaier, Daniel Boeger, Jens Buentzel, Kerstin Hoffmann, Jiří Podzimek, Holger Kaftan, Andreas Mueller, Sylvia Tresselt, Gerd Fabian Volk and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Elisabeth AlbertsDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Jonas BallmaierDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Daniel BoegerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Zentralklinikum, Suhl, Germany.
Jens BuentzelDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Südharz-Krankenhaus gGmbH, Nordhausen, Germany.
Kerstin HoffmannDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Sophien/Hufeland-Klinikum, Weimar, Germany.
Jiří PodzimekDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Klinikum Bad Salzungen, Bad Salzungen, Germany.
Holger KaftanDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Helios-Klinikum, Erfurt, Germany.
Andreas MuellerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, SRH Wald-Klinikum, Gera, Germany.
Sylvia TresseltDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Ilm-Kreis-Kliniken, Arnstadt, Germany.
Gerd Fabian VolkDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Orlando Guntinas-LichiusDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany. orlando.guntinas@med.uni-jena.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9671-0784

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeModern facial surgery can improve eye closure and address facial functional and emotional expression disabilities in case of severe acute facial paralysis with low probability of recovery and in cases of chronic flaccid facial paralysis. Reports on outcome typically originate from specialized tertiary care centers, whereas population-based data from routine care beyond specialized centers is sparse.

methodsTherefore, patients' characteristics, surgical techniques, postoperative complications, and patients' satisfaction with the final outcome were analyzed for all inpatients with facial paralysis undergoing facial surgery in Thuringia, a federal state in Germany, between 2006 and 2022. 260 patients (female 41.5%; median age 65 years) were included.

resultsOn average, the surgery rate was higher for men than for women (0.83 ± 0.39 versus 0.58 ± 0.24 per 100,000 population per year). For first surgery, static procedures were dominating (67.3%), followed by dynamic reconstruction (13.8%), and combined static and dynamic reconstructions (13.5%). The most frequent type of surgery was upper lid weight loading (38.5%), hypoglossal-facial jump nerve suture (17.3%), and facial-facial interpositional graft suture (16.9%). Bleeding/hematoma formation needing revision surgery was the most frequent complication (6.2%). Overall, 70.4% of the patients were satisfied with the final result. The satisfaction was higher if the target was to improve eye closure (65.2%) or to improve upper face function (65.3%) than to improve the lower face function (53.3%).

conclusionsIf facial nerve reconstruction surgery and/or upper lid weight placement was performed, the satisfaction was significantly higher. If revision surgery was needed to improve the result, the satisfaction was significantly lower.

Indexed as

Facial ParalysisOtolaryngologistsPlastic Surgery ProceduresAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedOtolaryngologyPatient SatisfactionPostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective StudiesFacial nerveFacial palsyFacial paralysisFacial reanimationHealthcare researchReconstructive surgery

Identifiers

PMID39443389
PMCPMC11805891

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.