September 30, 2003
HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER OPENS CENTER FOR FACIAL NERVE DISORDERS AND FACIAL REANIMATION
Hackensack University Medical Center has opened a Center for Facial Nerve Disorders and Facial Reanimation to treat patients with facial paralysis. The center is one of only a handful of such places in the country to offer these comprehensive services within one convenient location. 

The center, a division of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, provides comprehensive services for patients who have experienced facial paralysis due to a disorder of the facial nerve. Facial paralysis can result from birth trauma; skull or facial fractures; complications of parotid/salivary gland, ear, or skull-based surgery; stroke, viruses, or cancer; or unresolved Bells palsy. 

The facial nerve performs a variety of functions: It controls the muscles of the neck and facial expression; stimulates secretion by the salivary glands; conveys taste sensations; and carries sensations from the outer ear. Damage to the facial nerve causes weakness of the facial muscles and can affect speech, nasal airflow, the ability to chew food, the ability to close the affected eye, and excessive tearing. 

“The comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the facial nerve can be complex and that’s why we’ve opened The Center for Facial Nerve Disorders and Facial Reanimation,” says Richard M. Winters, M.D., medical director of the center and a plastic/reconstructive surgeon on staff at Hackensack University Medical Center. “We’ve assembled a team of specialists with expertise in plastic and reconstructive surgery, otolaryngology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and neurology. These highly skilled, board-certified physicians have undergone advanced training and have expertise in the most advanced medical and surgical treatments available today to treat facial paralysis.” 

Psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists round out the center’s team to provide comprehensive medical, psychological, and rehabilitative services.

According to Dr. Winters, patients with facial paralysis may have been suffering from the condition for some time. Often, the problem is viewed as purely a cosmetic one even though facial paralysis can cause many medical problems, including the inability to close the affected eye, chewing difficulties, blockage of air into the nose, and the ability to speak clearly. Patients with facial paralysis may also be unable or awkward in expressing emotion through smiling or laughing. They may also drool, bite the inside of the lip, and have excessive tearing of the affected eye. Patients affected by a drooping face and an unbalanced appearance may also suffer emotionally and psychologically as well.

The goal of diagnosis and treatment at the Center for Facial Nerve Disorders and Facial Reanimation is to identify the type of paralysis, determine its depth and degree, and develop an appropriate treatment plan that will restore the patient’s symmetrical (balanced) appearance and functioning in repose (at rest) and when animated, such as when the patient speaks, chews, or expresses emotions. 

Services available at the center include:

• thorough clinical examinations
• radiological evaluations
• provocative testing that evaluates the facial nerve’s ability to function
• advanced medical and surgical treatments

Dr. Winters points out that special advanced training and medical expertise are necessary to make the determination as to the severity of the facial nerve palsy, whether it is likely to be temporary or permanent, and what is the best method to treat it. Because there are so many surgical procedures that can be used for facial reanimation and balancing, the physicians involved must be highly skilled in a variety of methods. Dr. Winters says the medical team at the center possesses an intricate understanding of anatomy and neurophysiology and surgical expertise in reconstructive, microsurgical, and neurosurgical techniques. Surgical approaches include minimally invasive procedures to reposition the eyelid and month and close the affected eye. More extensive procedures, such as nerve grafting and muscle transplantation, are aimed at restoring symmetry during animation and expression of emotion. 

After graduating from a plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, in New York City, Dr. Winters continued his education with a fellowship in reconstructive microsurgery at the Buncke Clinic/Davies Medical Center’s Department of Microsurgical Transplantation and Replantation, in San Francisco. For one year he worked alongside Harry Buncke, M.D., who is widely regarded as one of the pioneers in microsurgery and facial reanimation surgery. 

After completing the fellowship in 1998, Dr. Winters joined the medical staff of Hackensack University Medical Center and has been an attending physician in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery since then. He says he is delighted to have the opportunity to offer comprehensive services for facial paralysis at the Center for Facial Nerve Disorders and Facial Reanimation. 

“Far too often, patients with facial paralysis believe there is nothing that can be done and that they have to live with their condition,” says Dr. Winters. “We’re pleased to be able to offer this most needed service so that patients can go on to lead normal lives again.” 

For an appointment or further information, call the Center for Facial Nerve Disorders and Facial Reanimation at (201) 996-5588.
 

 

Untitled Document