Hello, I am scheduled for surgery to have a partial pariodectomy for a pleomorphic adenoma. I am worried about facial nerve paralysis following this and would like to know would it be possible to use a EMS device which exercises the facial muscles following this surgery to help the facial nerve get back to normal?
Hello, I can understand your concern. As you are going for partial parotidectomy, there is a chance that facial nerve can be saved by the surgeon if it is not involved by the tumor. In that case, you will not face any symptoms of facial nerve paralysis. However, if the nerve is involved in the tumor, then it will have to be removed by the surgeon. Even if it will not be removed, there is a chance that the tumor may press on the nerve in future and may cause facial nerve paralysis. If the nerve is damaged, you can give it about 6 months to regenerate on its own. Sometimes it takes about a year or longer to get the sensation back. In any case, facial massage will sure help to regenerate the nerve faster. You can use EMS device after the initial healing of the surgical site (about 3 weeks) and consulting with your surgeon in the follow-up appointment with the surgeon. If the tumor reappears, as that is the case with partial parotidectomy, you may have to go for total parotidectomy in future to remove the entire parotid gland to eliminate the chances of recurrence. I hope this information solves your query. Thank you for choosing Chat Doctor. I wish you recover soon! Best,