Lianbo Zhang; Haiyan Qin; Wanying Chen; Zhuoxia Wu; Zhi Li; Jiao Kong; Feifei Chen; Xingchao Jiang & Guang Zhang

SUMMARY: The aim of this study was to investigate the course of the supraorbital nerve and temporal branch of the facial nerve, and to verify the clinical security of cutting the frontalis muscle flap to treat blepharoptosis in one-third of the eyebrow. Twenty cadavers were dissected. The relationship of the supraorbital nerve and the course of the frontotemporal branch of the facial nerve with the head and neck muscles was evaluated. Forty patients underwent clinical frontal muscular flap suspension surgery for the treatment of blepharoptosis. The postoperative curative and complication rates were determined. The courses of the supraorbital nerve and frontotemporal branch of the facial nerve were observed to determine a relatively safe area in one-third of the eyebrow. The average width of the zone was 25.0±3.5 mm. In forty cases, satisfactory results were achieved in correcting blepharoptosis by cutting the frontal muscular flap in the middle of eyebrow within the wide range of 17±2.1 mm. No secondary sensory and motor dysfunctions occurred. One-third of the eyebrow (eyebrow center, within 17±2.1 mm) was a relatively safe area and allowed for the prevention of damage to the temporal branch of the facial nerve inside the supraorbital nerve and supraorbital artery and the outer frontotemporal branch of the facial nerve.

KEY WORDS: Blepharoptosis; Frontalis muscle flap; Facial nerve; Anatomy.

ZHANG, L.; QIN, H.; CHEN, W.; WU, Z.; LI, Z.; KONG, J.; CHEN, F.; JIANG, X. & ZHANG, G. Frontal muscular flap suspension surgery for the treatment of blepharoptosis based on the anatomical study of the frontal muscle nerve in the third of the eyebrow. Int. J. Morphol., 34(1):197-204, 2016.