title: Understanding the features of posterior auricular muscle response in a facial nerve disease prototype.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to compare and investigate the changes of posterior auricular muscle response (PAMR) following peripheral facial nerve palsy (PFP) with blink reflex (BR).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 75 idiopathic PFP patients and age and sex-matched 38 healthy volunteers were included. Patients with PFP were classified into two groups including early (≤6 months) and late (>6 months) based on the duration of symptoms. Following clinical evaluation, PAMR and BR were recorded. A comparison was performed among the early PFP group (n=52), late PFP group (n=23) and healthy volunteers (n=38).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We obtained PAMR in 78.9% (n=30) of healthy volunteers, in 60.9% (n=14) of late and in only 38.5% (n=20) of early PFP patients (p=0.001). No habituation was observed following repeated stimuli. The mean latencies were 9.1±1.6, 10.9±1.9 and 12.3±2.0 msec., respectively (p=0.000). R1 and R2 latencies were longer in the early PFP group, compared to other groups (p=0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Posterior auricular muscle response exhibits changes in a manner similar to R1 and R2 of BR in early and late PFP. The occurrence rate of PAMR seems to be lowest or its latency is prolonged in the early PFP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, İstanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey. draysegulgunduz@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ayşegül
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gündüz
authors.forename: Meral E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kızıltan
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Uygunoğlu
authors.forename: Sakir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delil
authors.forename: Melis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sohtaoğlu
authors.forename: Hayal
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ergin
authors.forename: Melih
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tutuncu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004576:Electromyography; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies