Surgical and nonsurgical treatment options in patients with movement disorders of the platysma.

PURPOSE: Movement disorders of the platysma may constitute both an aesthetic and a functional problem for the affected patients, who almost always have hyperkinesis. This article describes the different treatment options for movement disorders of the platysma.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

The therapeutic options that we used involved surgical and nonsurgical strategies (33 patients), including neurectomy of the cervical branch of the facial nerve, myectomy of the platysma, and the injection of botulinum toxin A. After therapy, patients were evaluated through self-assessment of the clinical outcome, clinical examination, and electromyography.

RESULTS

All patients showed improvement or complete alleviation of their symptoms. The data also showed that resection of the cervical branch of the facial nerve after its anterograde neurolysis may be performed during facial nerve reconstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

The various nonsurgical and surgical strategies are suitable for the treatment of different forms of platysmal movement disorders.