OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The severity of Bell's facial palsy is monitored through physician-graded instruments, like the House-Brackmann or Sunnybrook Facial Grading System (FGS). These instruments primarily measure the degree of facial muscle impairment and its resulting asymmetry, but neglect the other functional aspects of facial disability. The aim of this study is therefore to compare the FGS...

BACKGROUND Although many patients with facial paralysis have obtained benefits or completely recovered after acupuncture or electroacupuncture therapy, it is still difficult to list intuitive evidence besides evaluation using neurological function scales and a few electrophysiologic data. Hence, the aim of this study is to use more intuitive and reliable detection techniques such as facial nerv...

BACKGROUND There is little information about the long-term outcomes of children with facial nerve palsy attributable to Lyme disease, a group putatively at high risk for poor neurologic outcomes. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term neuropsychologic and health outcomes of children with facial nerve palsy attributable to Lyme disease. METHODS We conducted a matched ...

Bell's palsy is a common neurological problem causing considerable loss of self-esteem among patients. A prospective observational study was conducted to determine the short-term outcome of Bell's palsy at 1 month and 2 months after the onset and the relationship between these outcomes with facial nerve degeneration. We also determined if gender, age, diabetes, systolic and diastolic blood pres...

BACKGROUND There are a variety of treatment options for Bell's palsy. Evidence from randomized controlled trials indicates corticosteroids can be used as a proven therapy for Bell's palsy. Acupuncture is one of the most commonly used methods to treat Bell's palsy in China. Recent studies suggest that staging treatment is more suitable for Bell's palsy, according to different path-stages of this...

The mysterious smile of the famed portrait ‘The Mona Lisa’ has confused both art historians and researchers for many years. The nature of the model’s enigmatic smile has been explained as the smile of a new, joyous mother, Lisa Gherardini, who had developed Bell’s palsy during her recent pregnancy. Bell palsy which is acute in onset, unilateral, and is considered to be idiopathic is the most co...

Isolated facial weakness suggests either a contralateral hemispheric lesion or a disease of the facial nerve per se. The presence of sensory symptoms usually indicates a central facial weakness, which characteristically involves the lower part of the face. In contrast, the absence of sensory disturbances suggests a peripheral nerve lesion, some system diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclero...

A 25-years-old woman with mandibular prognathism underwent a mandibular setback by way of mandibular sagittal split ramus osteotomy (MSSRO). After 2 days of operation, she developed difficulty of closing her right eye. The blink reflex test and motor nerve conduction study of the right orbicularis oris muscle were revealed right facial neuropathy of unknown origin and House-Brackmann facial ner...

British Journal of General Practice, December 2014 e807 IntrOduCtIOn Bell’s palsy remains the most common cause of lower motor neurone facial nerve paralysis. While 71% experience complete spontaneous resolution, including 61% who demonstrate a complete palsy and 94% who demonstrate a partial palsy, the remaining 29% exhibit lifelong residual hemifacial weakness.1,2 In 55% of these cases, the d...

There are evidences to support recommending the early intake of prednisone (in its appropriate dose of 1 mg/kg body weight for up to 70 or 80 mg/day) or the combined use of prednisone and acyclovir (or valacyclovir) within 72 h following the onset of paralysis in order to improve the outcome of Bell's palsy (BP). Although there may be a controversy about the role of physiotherapy in BP or facia...