Can Electrophysiologic Facial nerve Monitoring Prevent Facial nerve Palsy during Parotidectomy?

Abstract Background: One of the most feared complications in parotid surgery is facial nerve palsy which is known to affect the patient’s quality of life severely. Many instrument systems are already available commercially for electrophysiologic facial nerve monitoring. Objectives: The present study aims toward exploring the role of electrophysiologic facial nerve monitoring in the identification, dissection, and protection of facial nerve during parotid surgery. Materials and Methods: Forty confirmed cases of parotid tumors were recruited into the control and experimental groups. Intraoperative facial nerve monitoring was performed in the experimental group whereas no facial nerve monitoring was performed in the control group. The feasibility of locating the facial nerve, surgical time for locating facial nerve, and postoperative facial nerve function was compared in the control and experimental groups. Results: We have found that the electrophysiological monitoring of the facial nerve can reduce the occurrence of facial nerve palsy and can reduce the surgical time by early localization of the facial nerve. Conclusion: Facial nerve monitoring can help the surgeon in preventing facial nerve damage. It is strongly recommended that intraoperative facial nerve monitoring should be adopted during primary as well as revision parotid surgery.