Facial nerve repair surgery in Iran
Are you suffering from facial nerve injury and looking for a treatment to repair it? Does the fortune that is needed to undergo a facial nerve repair surgery makes an obstacle in your way to regain your self-esteem? You can consider having an affordable high-quality facial nerve repair surgery in Iran with Dr. Saeedi. Please continue reading to know more about this surgery and how is performed in Iran by Dr. Saeedi.
What is facial nerve and what happens when it is injured?
The facial nerve is the nerve that passes through a narrow way of bones in its way to reach the face. This nerve enables us to move the muscles of the face, enabling us to eat, close our eyes, smile and make facial expressions. When the facial nerve does not work properly, the patient will not be able to move the muscles of their face, in addition to experiencing vision loss, blockage of the nose and difficulty with speaking, eating and drinking. By consequence, the dysfunction of facial nerve leads most patients to social withdrawal and depression.
Causes of facial nerve disorders
Facial nerve dysfunction can occur due to many causes. The most common causes are shown in the following.
Bell’s palsy
Bell’s palsy is a temporary paralysis that usually affects one side of the face but may rarely affect both sides of the face. Most Bell’s palsy patients recover completely, but about 15-20% of them may experience permanent nerve injury. This causes global mass movement of facial muscles, called synkinesis.
Injuries or trauma
One of the most common injury that affect facial nerve is skull fracture, either by itself or due to swelling afterwards. Facial nerve injury may also occur during some ear surgery types or during parotidectomy, which rarely occur and is often temporary.
Infection, Disease or Tumors
Facial nerve injuries may be caused by some diseases or infections, such as acute middle ear infections or circulatory disorders like a stroke. The facial nerve may also be affected by facial tumors. Sometimes, a segment of the nerve may need to be removed with the tumor.
Facial nerve neuroma
This abnormal growth may occur in the facial nerve itself, causing gradual paralysis in the face muscles.
Who is a candidate for facial nerve repair surgery?
The candidates for this surgery are patient who have facial paralysis caused by any of the abovementioned causes, whether they did not have previous nerve reconstruction done or whether nerve function was not restored in them after a previous surgery.
Why choose to undergo facial nerve repair in Iran with Dr. Saeedi?
Iran boasts being the home of many highly experienced ENT and neurology surgeons who perform their surgeries in modern hospitals at cost-effective prices. That is why many patients from all around the world seeks undergoing facial nerve repair surgery in Iran and put themselves under the knife of one of those surgeons.
Having more than 12 years of experience in the ENT specialty since she received her ENT and Neuro-otology fellowship, Dr. Massomeh Saeedi is a renowned surgeon in the field of ENT, head and neck surgeries.
To enhance her medical knowledge, Dr. Saeedi attended various international courses in France, Germany, South Korea, Portugal, Malaysia, Poland, and so on. In April 2008, and only at the age of 33, she received an associate professorship in ENT in Baqiyatallah University, and continued her work as the university’s ENT department assistant.
With the large number of national and international patients she sees and with her academic experience, she combines the academic knowledge and the practical experience to perform facial nerve surgery even in the most complex procedures.
Cost of facial nerve repair surgery in Iran with Dr. Saeedi
While the cost of facial repair surgery depends on the degree of the paralysis caused by the facial nerve damage, it is worth noting that the price of the high-grade paralysis in the western countries is something between $16,200 and $26,000.
On the other hand, the cost of facial nerve repair surgery in Iran with Dr. Saeedi is only a small fraction of this expensive cost. Do not hesitate to contact us for a free specialized online consultation and a precise quote for your case with Dr. Saeedi.
How facial nerve repair surgery is done?
The facial nerve surgery is usually tailored for each case individually according to the cause and severity of the facial nerve damage. However, the following procedures are usually the options among which the surgeons choose:
Direct nerve repair
This procedure is done by extracting the damaged portion of the facial nerve and connecting its two ends again. This procedure is the most preferred one when the patient’s situation allow it to be employed.
Nerve grafting
This option is resorted to when the two ends of the facial nerve cannot reach each other after removing the damaged portion of the nerve. To solve this condition, the surgeon uses a donor nerve from another part of the body to connect the remaining nerve ends.
Nerve substitution
This procedure is also called cross-face grafting. Nerve substitution involves connecting the injured nerves with the healthy nerves of the other side of the face. This option allows for more facial symmetry after the surgery.
As an expert surgeon in facial microsurgery, Dr. Saeedi can individualize these procedures to achieve the most effective results from the facial nerve repair surgery.
After facial nerve repair surgery: What to expect?
The initial discomfort is inevitable after facial nerve repair surgery for the majority of the patients, although it might not necessarily painful.
You can expect an improved movement in the muscles of the face after the surgery. The symmetry enhancement in the facial features is also expected during the recovery period after facial nerve repair surgery. Keeping the head elevated during the few weeks after the surgery is usually recommended by the surgeon to reduce the swelling of the face or the surgical site.
Frequently asked questions about facial nerve repair surgery
Can a cut facial nerve be repaired?
Facial nerve cut occurs usually during a surgery to remove a tumor or because of an accident. In these cases, a surgical procedure may be performed by nerve grafting and nerve substitution.
Is facial nerve surgery painful?
The surgery itself is performed under general anesthesia, meaning that the patient will not feel any pain during the surgery. However, when the anesthesia effect fades down, the patient will experience some level of pain and discomfort during the recovery period after the surgery.
How long facial nerves take to repair after surgery?
This depends on the length of the injured nerve. It is estimated that nerve regeneration occurs at a rate of 1 mm per day. So, if the injury is about 30 mm length, it will take about one month before the nerve function is recovered.