A Case Report of Surgical Treatment for Relief of Intractable Pain Developed after Browlift Surgery

Lee, Kang Woo; Kang, Sang Yoon; Yang, Won Yong

Abstract

PURPOSE
Nerve injury is one of the complication which can develop after brow lift. Peripheral nerve ending which is stretched from supraorbital nerve and supratrochlear nerve can be injured and symptoms such as pain, dysesthesia may appear. Usually, developed pain disappeared spontaneously and does not go on chronic way. We experienced a case that a patient complained chronic pain after brow lift which was not controlled by conservative management such as medications, local nerve block and report a successful surgical treatment of chronic pain after brow lift.
METHODS
A 24-year-old male who received brow lift with hairline incision at local hospital was admitted for chronic pain at the right forehead. The pain was continued for 3 months even though fixed thread was removed. Local nerve block at trigger point with mixed 1mL 2% lidocaine and 1mL Triamcinolone acetonide was done and oral medications, Gabapentine and carbamazepine, were also applied but there was no difference in the degree of pain. Therefore the operation was performed so that careful dissection was carried out at right supraorbital neurovascular bundle and adhered supraorbital nerve was released from surrounding tissues and covered with silastic sheet to prevent adhesion.
RESULTS
The pain was gradually relieved for a week. The patient was discharged without complications. No evidence of recurrence has been observed for 2 years.
CONCLUSION
The pain developed after brow lift was engaged with nerve injury and sometimes remains chronically. Many kinds of conservative management to treat this complication such as medications, local nerve block have been reported and usually been used. But there are some chronic cases that conservative treatment do not work. In sum, we report 1 case of successful surgical treatment for relief of intractable pain developed after brow lift surgery.