title: Bell's palsy-beneficial effect of treatment with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) in patients with a poor prognosis.
abstract: In 111 patients with idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis (Bell's palsy) the prognosis was established during the first days of the disease, using sialometry and the stapedius reflex test in 102 patients. A poor prognosis was indicated in 36 patients. Treatment with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) was commenced within 10 days (in the majority within 5 days) of the onset of the paresis in 31 of those patients with a poor prognosis. The recovery rate in the ACTH-treated group was superior compared with the untreated control group of patients with a poor prognosis. The difference is statistically significant. Those patients with a good prognosis were not treated but merely followed up. Some factors which could influence the result of the treatment are considered.
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D012018:Reflex; D012796:Sialography; D013198:Stapedius / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone