Does preoperative facial muscle imaging predict final facial function after facial nerve grafting?
Symmetrical or mildly asymmetrical facial muscles are predictive of good facial function after nerve grafting. Pronounced asymmetry of facial muscles on MR images is predictive of poor facial function after grafting. Asymmetric facial muscles on preoperative MR images are associated with perineural tumor spread in patients with malignant disease.
The long-term cell incubation and subsequent mechanical stimulation, especially compressive strain, promote expression of SMC-specific cytoskeletal protein in marrow stromal cells.