Postoperative Rigid Cervical Collar Causing a Marginal Mandibular Branch of Facial Nerve Palsy: A Case Report.

CASE: We present a marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve palsy that occurred in a 55-year-old woman from external compression of a rigid cervical collar. This nerve palsy occurred after less than 24 hours of collar utilization and was treated conservatively with delayed recovery.

CONCLUSION

A marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve palsy is a rare complication of cervical collar usage with only 1 other documented case in the literature. The resemblance of this palsy to a postoperative cerebrovascular accident makes it an important complication to consider when using a collar.