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Summary Objectives To assess for functional improvement in outcomes following supermicrosurgical restoration across a cohort of patients with a spectrum of trigeminal nerve disorders. Patients & methods In a retrospective case series over three years (2016–18), twenty patients were included in a cohort of trigeminal nerve palsy patients. Eleven patients with corneal anaesthesia underwent corneal neurotisation procedures and were followed up using Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometry. Six patients with sensory trigeminal nerve injuries had direct nerve coaptation and neuroma excision. Three patients with trigeminal motor nerve palsies were followed up with photography for contour improvement. Results Regarding corneal neurotisation, there was evidence of significant improvement in protective corneal sensation and also blinking frequency. Regarding facial sensory disturbances, all patients had full resolution of painful trigeminal neuroma symptoms. In two cases of iatrogenic trigeminal motor palsies with contour defects, adipo-fascial variants of the superficial circumflex iliac artery (SCIP) free flap achieved excellent restoration of facial contour in lieu of facial lipofilling. In another case of a necrotising infection of the head and neck with loss of all masticatory muscles, a free functional muscle using a chimaeric vastus lateralis-ALT flap was used to restore masticatory and facial movement in a single stage procedure. Conclusion Using combinations and permutations of current surgical techniques, it is possible to successfully restore both form and function for patients with sensory as well as motor trigeminal nerve palsies. This sets a precedent for the expansion of cranial nerve surgery as an evolving sub-speciality.

This study aimed to provide reliable and valid evidence that botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) is a successful treatment for facial synkinesis in facial palsy by using the synkinesis assessment questionnaire (SAQ) tool. Fifty-one patients completed questionnaires pre- and post-BTX-A treatment over 103 cycles of treatment. Each patient was individually assessed and then treated according to their presenting symptoms with a dosage in each injection site of between 0.5 and 5 U of BTX-A. A two-tailed paired samples t-test was used to compare the scores for each question before and after treatment. A significant difference was found between all scores before and after treatment at the level of p 0.05. There was not only an improvement in the mean score in the post-treatment group but also a smaller spread of scores in the post-treatment group than in the pre-treatment group. The study showed that SAQ scores decreased significantly for every question on the SAQ after treatment. This indicates that BTX-A is an effective treatment for synkinesis, adding further weight to current evidence. The study also indicated that BTX-A continues to be effective even after three rounds of treatment, with a significant decrease in overall scores after each treatment cycle.

The centre ground in the world of flaps have over time, gradually shifted from tubed pedicled, random-pattern, axial-pattern, pedicled, free and currently, to free-styled flaps. These concepts are broadly based on the angiosome-perforasome concept. In this case report, we illustrate how the concept of venosome capture can be transposed onto reverse-flow flaps with the aid of venous supercharging. Moreover, if this is seen from the free-styled flap perspective, it requires supermicrosurgical expertise. This case report hence, serves as a fusion of all the above concepts.