title: Decompression for Bell's palsy: why I don't do it.
abstract: All decompression surgery is based on the lack of understanding that Bell's palsy is a viral demyelinating disease that is longitudinal--not perpendicular--to the facial canal and that surgery cannot possibly help a viral disease. These findings exclude the etiologic possibility of an "ischemic paralysis" and are in accord with our logically derived belief that treatment directed to relieve neural entrapment is a wasted effort.
authors.affiliation: Cranial Nerve Research Clinic, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Oakland, CA 94133, USA.
authors.forename: Kedar K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Adour
mesh_terms: D020330:Bell Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans