Most facial reanimation studies fail to report smile spontaneity outcomes

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 95 studies (3,874 patients) examined reporting of smile spontaneity after cross-facial nerve grafting for flaccid facial paralysis. The review found that only 41.1% of studies reported spontaneity outcomes, mostly as binary presence/absence data, and among those reporting it, spontaneity was present in 88.25% of patients (1,456 patients, 31 studies). The authors state that quantitative tools for assessing spontaneity exist but remain underused in the facial nerve outcomes literature.

Most relevant for: Patients undergoing facial reanimation surgery for flaccid facial paralysis, including those receiving cross-facial nerve grafting with or without free muscle transfer or dual innervation techniques.

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