Facial nerve palsy after orthognathic surgery caused by a hemoclip

Reduction mandibuloplasty is one of the most frequently performed aesthetic surgical procedures in Korea. Cases of facial nerve injury after mandibuloplasty have been reported, but most of those cases have not been clearly presented in detail. This report describes the case of a 38-year-old patient who underwent reduction mandibuloplasty at a local plastic surgery clinic. A massive bleeding event occurred during surgery, and hemostasis was performed by a surgeon at the local clinic. During an exploratory procedure, we found that the facial nerve trunk was clipped with a metallic hemoclip. We then straightened the pressed epineurium to its original shape under surgical microscopy. Oral prednisolone administration began on the first day after the procedure and was gradually tapered off. The patient showed some improvement after 7 weeks and showed 80% to 90% improvement after 5 months.