Comparison of facial nerve paralysis in adults and children.
OBJECTIVE
Facial nerve injury can occur in the regions ranging from the cerebral cortex to the motor end plate in the face, and from many causes including trauma, viral infection, and idiopathic factors. Facial nerve paralysis in children, however, may differ from that in adults. We, therefore, evaluated its etiology and recovery rate in children and adults.


METHODS
We retrospectively evaluated the records of 975 patients, ranging in age from 0 to 88 years, who displayed facial palsy at Kyung Hee Medical Center between January 1986 and July 2005.


RESULTS
The most frequent causes of facial palsy in adults were Bell's palsy (54.9%), infection (26.8%), trauma (5.9%), iatrogenic (2.0%), and tumors (1.8%), whereas the most frequent causes of facial palsy in children were Bell's palsy (66.2%), infection (14.6%), trauma (13.4%), birth trauma (3.2%), and leukemia (1.3%). Recovery rates in adults were 91.4% for Bell's palsy, 89.0% for infection, and 64.3% for trauma, whereas recovery rates in children were 93.1% for Bell's palsy, 90.9% for infection, and 42.9% for trauma.


CONCLUSIONS
These results show that causes of facial palsy are similar in adults and children, and recovery rates in adults and children are not significantly different.
Cha
Chang Il
CI
Department of Otolaryngology, The College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
Hong
Chang Kee
CK
Park
Moon Suh
MS
Yeo
Seung Geun
SG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome