ABSTRACT
The patient was a 44-year-old man with right facial paralysis as the main complaint. Upon resection of a benign parotid gland tumor (6 cm in diameter), one of the buccal branches of the right facial nerve was severed. Immediately after the surgery, facial nerve paralysis occurred in the areas innervated by the buccal and marginal mandibular branches. Therefore, on the 5th day after the surgery, acupuncture was started. The paralyzed facial site was treated weekly for 15 minutes by inserting a disposable acupuncture needle (40 mm in length and 0.16 mm in thickness) about 5 mm deep into the site. As a result, the discomfort around the right ear was alleviated and the right facial nerve paralysis was gradually improved and cured in 6 months after the onset. Acupuncture may have prevented secondary changes such as tissue scarring and atrophy after the surgery, and promoted healing. The paralysis of the areas innervated by the buccal branches may have been improved through rerooting from the other branches in the periphery region of the neurectomy site. The present case is informative in considering the indications of acupuncture.