The effect of superior cervical ganglion resection on peripheral facial palsy in rats

Stellate ganglion block is performed to treat peripheral facial palsy because it increases blood flow and promotes nerve regeneration. Although stellate ganglion block increases blood flow around the facial nerve that runs outside the temporal bone, it may not affect blood flow inside the bone. Therefore, although stellate ganglion block is an effective procedure when the facial nerve is damaged outside the temporal bone, no studies have investigated the relationship between the site of nerve damage and the therapeutic effect of stellate ganglion block. Here, we investigated the efficacy of stellate ganglion block for facial palsy caused by facial nerve damage both inside and outside the temporal bone in rats.

A rat facial palsy model was created with nerve cooling that damaged the facial nerve inside or outside the temporal bone. A rat facial palsy stellate ganglion block model was also created by performing superior cervical ganglion resection on facial palsy model rats, and the duration of paralysis was examined.

Facial nerve cooling inside and outside the temporal bone resulted in a mean duration of paralysis of 13.8 ± 1.6 days and 18.3 ± 2.2 days, respectively. Superior cervical ganglion resection in which the facial nerve had been cooled inside and outside the temporal bone reduced the mean duration of paralysis by 2.4 ± 1.3 days and 5.4 ± 1.3 days, respectively.

Stellate ganglion block was more effective in facial palsy caused by damage to the facial nerve outside, rather than inside, the temporal bone.