Khoula Hospital helps child regain movement in paralysed face

Muscat: A medical team at Khoula Hospital succeeded in helping a 6-year-old child to move her paralysed face.

A statement issued online by Oman News Agency (ONA), said: "A medical team specialised in seventh nerve reconstructive surgeries at Khawla Hospital was able to help a six-year-old girl to regain her ability to move the paralysed half of her face. She was born congenitally with hemifacial paralysis due to the absence of the seventh nerve. The nerve was restored in two stages."

Dr. Sheikhan bin Nasser Al-Hashmi, Senior Consultant Plastic and Head of Plastic Surgery Department at Khawla Hospital, explained that the operation was performed in two stages, the first stage was nerve implantation in the affected half of the girl's face.

"The second stage was the transfer of muscle tissue from the thigh to the affected part of the face through the use of microsurgery. The operation took 7 hours," Al-Hashmi added.