title: Bilateral traumatic facial paralysis. Case report.
abstract: Although traumatic injury of the facial nerve is a relatively common condition in neurosurgical practice, bilateral lesions related to fracture of temporal bones are seldom seen. We report the case of a 38-year-old patient admitted to Intensive Care Unit after severe head trauma requiring ventilatory support (Glasgow Coma Scale of 7 on admission). A computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed a longitudinal fracture of the right temporal bone and a transversal fracture of the left. After successful weaning from respirator, bilateral facial paralysis was observed. The possible aetiologies for facial diplegia differ from those of unilateral injury. Due to the lack of facial asymmetry, it can be easily missed in critically ill patients, and both the high resolution CT scan and electromyographic studies can be helpful for correct diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurocirugía, Hospital Universitario Arnau de Vilanova, Lleida, Spain. Electronic address: joseundabeitia@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Undabeitia
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Courtney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pendleton
authors.forename: Pere
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nogues
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Noboa
authors.forename: Jose Ignacio
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Undabeitia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
keywords: Bilateral facial paralysis; Facial nerve injuries; Fractura de base de cráneo; Lesión del nervio facial; Parálisis facial bilateral; Skull base fracture