FACIAL PARALYSIS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 145, 21 June 1934, Page 22

FACIAL PARALYSIS

TRANSPLANTING A NERVE

MARKED SURGICAL ADVANCE

For more than five years English and American surgeons have been co-oper-ating to find a cure.for many fbrms of facial paralysis. ' ■ '■■-.. ■

For the first time it has been found possible to replace part of the facial nerve with a transplanted nerve. Within six months ther.e- is a marked' improvement in the often terrible distortion of the victim's face. Within eighteen months the patient is definitely cured. .

; The English collaborator is the veteran surgeon, Sir Charles Ballanco, working at the Royal College of Sur^ geons. His American colleague' is Dr. A. B. Dcul, of tho Manhattan Ear Hospital. After many years of joint research the new, operation was devised, and it was decided that Dr^Deul should put it to the test. Ho has employed it on between sixty, and seventy patients with marked success.

Six thousand feet of cinematograrjhic film showing the- result of Dr. Deul's work have 4 been received at the College of Surgeons. Part of the film has been shown to the council of the college and enthusiastically received. The film will receive its "general release" at a'meeting of the Association of Surgeons at Birmingham in May,' when Sir .Charles will give a full account of Dr. Deul's work. . ■. ■ . '.-'■'■."