Pseudo-facial expression after muscle transfer in facial palsy

Summary

With a careful postoperative training program in physiotherapy we tried to achieve automatic facial activity after muscle transfer in facial palsy. In a primary stage of exercises voluntary control of the new function was achieved in all cases. The second stage in which we tried to bring these newly learned movements to a state of automatic function in normal facial expression was not successful. Therefore we feel that muscle transfers give only minor advantages over static suspension operations.