Background: Monitoring of facial nerve function during surgery help surgeons to preserve the nerve during parotid gland surgery. EMG is currently the standard method for monitoring, however, the rates of facial nerve paresis and paralyses are 68-18% and 3%, respectively. The disadvantages of this method are its cost and lack of access to it everywhere. Unipolar alternating electric current stimulation of the facial nerve causes contraction of the muscles and the nerves, and the damage can be avoided.
Materials and Methods: In this study, patients in the years 1388 to 1390 using monopolar electrocautery was undergoing parotidectomy and one month after surgery, the facial nerve injury were examined. During the study period, twenty patients had undergone total or superficial parotid gland resection and one excluded due to facial nerve involvement before surgery.
Results: In this study, 19 patients were studied. The mean age of patients participating in this study, 43.1 ± 13.9 years and 63.2% of them (12 cases) were female. A temporary palsy (5.4%) was observed and there was no paralysis.
Conclusion: Due to its availability and low cost, using electrocautery devices compared with standard facial nerve monitoring, EMG, is beneficial and the treatment results are also satisfactory.
