Letter to the Editor

To assess the effect of FES on complete peripheral facial palsy, large, homogeneous groups need to be studied

Abstract

We read with interest the article by Meinicke et al. on a prospective study on the effect of functional electrical stimulation (FES) of 2 times 20 minutes per day over an average period of 95 days on the cross-sectional area (CSA) of denervated facial muscles in 10 patients with complete peripheral facial nerve palsy (PFP) [1]. While the CSA of most non-stimulated muscles decreased significantly due to PFP, a significant CSA increase of the zygomaticus muscle, which was regularly trained with FES, was demonstrated [1]. It was concluded that FES can halt the atrophy of the denervated zygomaticus muscle in patients with total PFP [1]. The study is impressive, but some points should be discussed.