AN ANATOMICAL STUDY OF THE MOTOR DISTRIBUTION OF THE MANDIBULAR NERVEFOR A MASSETERIC-FACIAL ANASTOMOSIS TO RESTORE FACIAL FUNCTION

On account of the complex anatomy at the base of skull, surgery here m ay result in post operative cranial n. deficits. Facial palsy is often feared and its effects upon the patient's psychological and emotional well-being can be catastrophic. The modest results and the side effec ts of the facio-hypoglossal anastomosis used for facial rehabilitation have led us to consider an anastomosis between a motor branch of the trigeminal n. and the facial n. Dissection has allowed us to demonstra te that the masseteric n. offers the characteristics and the relations hips which should make such an anastomosis feasible.