title: Predicting the long-term outcome after idiopathic facial nerve paralysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate long-term recovery after Bell's palsy and evaluate specific parameters for predicting the long-term outcome of facial weakness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective clinical study combined with long-term follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care university hospital (Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Thessaloniki, Greece).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-four patients who were followed up 2 to 6 years (mean, 4.01 yr) after the onset of facial weakness.
  
  
  METHODS
  The failure rate of complete recovery was studied for age, initial nerve excitability test, electroneurography, initial severity of paralysis, and number of days from onset of facial weakness to the start of medical treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-two (73%) of 44 patients had a satisfactory outcome, and 12 (27%) had a nonsatisfactory recovery. Initial House-Brackmann grades V/VI and electroneurographically detected degeneration of 90% or more were shown to affect the long-term outcome of facial weakness significantly (p = 0.024 and p = 0.000, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The initial severity of facial weakness and the electroneurographically detected facial nerve degeneration were found to be important factors in predicting the long-term prognosis of Bell's palsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany. konstantinos.mantsopoulos@uk-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mantsopoulos
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Psillas
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Psychogios
authors.forename: Cristoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brase
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iro
authors.forename: Jannis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Constantinidis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020330:Bell Palsy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003911:Dextrans / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011379:Prognosis; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D011239:Prednisolone; D010431:Pentoxifylline