title: Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome revisited as a misdiagnosed disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to attract our college's attention to the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS), which has been an infrequently encountered subject in otolaryngology journals during the last 10 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of the last 10 years' patient database was performed to find patients with MRS. The medical files, treatment charts, and radiological and histopathological records of these patients were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study group consisted of 3 MRS patients who had been misdiagnosed for 9, 10, and 16 years. Two of them have had the symptoms since adolescence. All of them presented orofacial edema and fissured tongue, whereas first two also had recurrent facial paralysis. Characteristic histopathological features were noted in 1 patient. Electromyography (EMG) was done in 1 patient who underwent facial decompressiom. All patients responded to either systemic or intralesional corticosteroid treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the daily practice of an otolaryngologist, it is not usual to diagnose a patient as having MRS. We consider that this is partly because of misdiagnosis. We therefore believe that this study will supply an additional aspect to otolaryngologists, in the scope of recurrent facial paralysis and orofacial edema in both children and adults.
authors.affiliation: Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. ozanozgursoy@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ozan Bagis
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Ozgursoy
authors.forename: Selmin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karatayli Ozgursoy
authors.forename: Ozden
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tulunay
authors.forename: Ozgur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kemal
authors.forename: Aynur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akyol
authors.forename: Gursel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dursun
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004576:Electromyography; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008556:Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014063:Tongue, Fissured / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones