Impact of Botulinum Toxin Injections on Quality of Life of Patients with Long-Standing Peripheral Facial Palsy.

(1) Background: Sequels of facial palsy lead to major psychosocial repercussions, disrupting patients' quality of life (QoL). Botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections can permit us to treat long-standing facial palsy, improving facial symmetry and functional signs including synkinesis and contractures. (2) Methods: The main aim of this study was to assess the evolution of the QoL for patients with long-standing facial palsy before, at 1 month, and at 4 months after BoNT injections by using three questionnaires (HFS-30, FaCE, and HAD). The other goals were to find clinical factors associated with the improvement in the QoL and to assess the HFS-30 questionnaire for patients with unilateral facial palsy (3) Results: Eighty-eight patients were included in this study. There was a statistically significant improvement in QoL at 1 month after injections, assessed using the three questionnaires. This improvement was sustained at 4 months after the injections, with a statistically significant difference for the HFS-30 and FaCE questionnaires. (4) Conclusions: This study showed that the BoNT injections lead to a significant increase in the QoL of patients with unilateral facial palsy. This improvement is sustained 4 months after the injections.

Botulinum Toxin Injections to Manage Sequelae of Peripheral Facial Palsy.

Long-standing facial palsy sequelae cause functional, aesthetic, and psychological problems in patients. Botulinum toxin is an effective way to manage them, but no standardized recommendations exist. Through this non-systematic review, we aimed to guide any practitioner willing to master the ins and outs of this activity. We reviewed the existing literature and completed, with our experience as a reference center, different strategies of botulinum toxin injections used in facial palsy patients, including history, physiopathology, facial analysis, dosages, injection sites, and techniques, as well as time intervals between injections. The reader will find all the theorical information needed to best guide injections according to the patient's complaint, which is the most important information to consider.

Pain in Patients with Post Paralytic Hemifacial Spasm: Before, during and after Botulinum Toxin Injections.

It is well-established that botulinum toxin (BT) injections improve quality of life in patients with postparalytic hemifacial spasm. Nevertheless, injection-related pain and contracture-related pain have not yet been studied. The primary objective of our study was to evaluate injection-related pain in patients with facial palsy sequelae, and to compare the standard technique (syringe) with the Juvapen device. The secondary objective was to evaluate the improvement of contracture-related pain one month after BT injection. METHODS: We conducted an observational, prospective, monocentric study based on 60 patients with facial palsy sequelae who received BT injections in our university ENT (ear, nose throat) department. There were 30 patients in the Juvapen group (J) and 30 in the standard technique group (ST). All patients completed Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) questionnaires immediately after the injections and one month later. RESULTS: The average NRS score was 1.33/10 with Juvapen and 2.24/10 with the standard technique (p = 0.0058; Z = 2.75). In patients with contracture-related pain, the average NRS score was 3.53 before BT injection, and 0.41 one month after BT injection (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Juvapen is a less-painful injection technique than the standard one. BT reduces contracture-related pain one month after injection.

Smile Reanimation after Unilateral Facial Palsy by Lengthening Temporalis Myoplasty: Objective and Subjective Evaluation on 25 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Comparison of functional results of lengthening temporalis myoplasty relies in current practice on subjective scales. The goal of this study was to define a simple, reproducible, objective scale validated through a comparison with a subjective scale for smile symmetrization results after temporal muscle myoplasty. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 25 patients having a unilateral facial palsy and rehabilitated with lengthening temporalis myoplasty. Evaluation consisted of objective measures: smile horizontal symmetry between left and right sides, vertical symmetry, and smile width on healthy and paretic sides on preoperative and postoperative photographs. Subjective scales were also used (i.e., a numeric scale and the Terzis and Noah scale) by a jury (four professionals and four nonprofessionals) and the patient himself or herself. Each evaluation was performed in three conditions: at rest, at intermediary smile, and at maximum smile. RESULTS: Comparison of objective measures on the impaired side showed a postoperative improvement in the three conditions evaluation. Reproducibility of the numeric scale was weak for evaluation at rest and fair for maximum smile evaluation (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.57). The Terzis and Noah scale was not reproducible from one observer to another. At maximum smile, a correlation between smile symmetry in the vertical plane, smile symmetry in the horizontal plane, and professional evaluation with the numeric scale on the one hand and global patient satisfaction on the other hand was observed. CONCLUSION: Postoperative smile horizontal symmetry between left and right sides, and smile vertical symmetry, are good indicators with which to assess postoperative results of facial palsy rehabilitation.