title: Facial nerve palsy in children: clinical aspects of diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: Eighty-two children with facial palsy aged less than 6 years were examined. Sixty-four cases, excluding patients with congenital and traumatic palsy, were distributed through the ages, but a predominant tendency to symptomatic palsy for cases aged less than 2 years was observed. Facial movement scoring was not practical in prognostic diagnosis in cases aged under 4 years, while ENoG was useful in all age-groups. Of 58 cases of acute peripheral facial palsy, 29 were observed clinically but given no treatment, 9 were given steroids, and 16 were given vitamins and other drugs. In the patients with acute peripheral facial palsy in whom a follow up study was performed, 56 cases (96.6%) showed complete recovery. The time of recovery was independent of treatment. Facial palsy in children is considered to have a good prognosis regardless of treatment. Steroid administration thus does not appear to be necessary in children with acute facial palsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inamura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aoyagi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tojima
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kohsyu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koike
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001299:Audiometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012022:Reflex, Acoustic / Q000502:physiology; D013199:Stapes / Q000503:physiopathology; D013256:Steroids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids; D014815:Vitamins