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Review
. 2025 Apr 17;17(4):e82438.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.82438. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Surgical Interventions for Management of Marcus Gunn Jaw-Winking Phenomenon: A Systematic Review

Adham M Musa  1 , Ahmad AlKayyat  2 , Shadan Alrawi  1 , Omer W Atallah  3 , Ali Atoui  1 , Ibrahim Qamhieh  1 , Eman M Ghawanmeh  4
Affiliations
Review

Surgical Interventions for Management of Marcus Gunn Jaw-Winking Phenomenon: A Systematic Review

Adham M Musa et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Marcus Gunn jaw-winking syndrome (MGJWS) is a congenital synkinetic ptosis characterized by involuntary eyelid movement with jaw motion. Various surgical interventions, including levator excision and frontalis suspension, have been employed to improve functional and aesthetic outcomes. However, the optimal approach remains debated due to variable success rates and recurrence risks. This study aims to systematically review the effectiveness of different interventions for MGJWS. A systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), analyzing studies on surgical interventions for MGJWS. Predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were used. Surgical intervention was found to be effective for the management of MGJWS, but long-term follow-up and additional clinical data are needed to determine optimal techniques and minimize the recurrence risks of the phenomenon.

Keywords: jaw-winking ptosis; marcus gunn jaw-winking syndrome; marcus gunn phenomenon; mgjws; trigemino-oculomotor synkinesis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA flow diagram of literature search and study selection
PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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