Dr. Mehmet Veli Karaaltın, founder of Dr. Karaaltın Clinic, shared information about the new technique they have developed for facial paralysis, which causes loss of movement in the face as a result of damage to the facial nerve fibers that transmit signals from the brain to the facial muscles. Facial paralysis can be congenital, sudden, …
Dr. Mehmet Veli Karaaltın, founder of Dr. Karaaltın Clinic, shared information about the new technique they have developed for facial paralysis, which causes loss of movement in the face as a result of damage to the facial nerve fibers that transmit signals from the brain to the facial muscles. Facial paralysis can be congenital, sudden, or develop gradually over time.
In 1985, two Los Angeles-based ENT specialists, Dr. John W. House and Dr. Derald E. Brackman, developed a classification system known as the House-Brackman scale, which includes levels from 1 to 6, to assess the severity of facial paralysis.
Dr. Karaaltın continued: “At Dr. Karaaltın Clinic, we aim to emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and surgical techniques in the treatment of facial paralysis. Despite various methods used worldwide, excellent results have not been achieved. Muscle transplants have been performed on House-Brackman level 6 patients, but significant facial asymmetries have occurred due to the large size of the transplanted muscles. Observing this, Dr. Karaaltın focused on the situation and, after conducting extensive research, became the first person in the world to use a very thin muscle taken from the upper thigh for facial paralysis surgery. This technique has been incorporated into medical literature and is now known as the ‘Karaaltın Technique.’”
At Dr. Karaaltın Clinic, we currently take a comprehensive approach to facial paralysis and have pioneered a two-stage surgical procedure. For patients with House-Brackman levels 3, 4, and 5, we first perform a nerve graft. A spare nerve taken from the leg is connected to a spare nerve on the healthy side of the face, bringing a new nerve to the paralyzed side. In patients diagnosed early, this method has demonstrated significant success, often reducing the need for muscle transplantation. For patients with House-Brackman level 6, we combine nerve and muscle transplantation in the same procedure, significantly increasing the success rate of the surgery.
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