Amer's classification of territories of facial nerve injury in early cases and strategies for the management of different territories.

Abstract

Early cases of facial nerve injury are best treated by restoring the neural pathway to the same existing facial muscles. Knowledge of the exact territory of facial nerve injury is required to design a plane for the reconstruction of these injuries and to compare results. The current study aims to design a classification system for territories of facial nerve injury based on the location of nearest healthy fascicles to the site of injury both proximally and distally. Two hundred-one patients with early facial nerve injury were assessed for treatment. According to the results of the exploration, 13 territories of injury were identified. The management strategy was planned according to the territory of injury. The current classification system is a simple, easy and effective method for the classification of territories of facial nerve injury. The classification system accurately describes the nearest possible healthy proximal and distal fascicles and can be employed to easily report cases and implement a management plan. This classification scheme also allows us to more effectively compare results.