title: Bell's Palsy.
abstract: Bell's palsy is unilateral, acute onset facial paralysis that is a common condition. One in every 65 people experiences Bell's palsy in the course of their lifetime. The majority of patients afflicted with this idiopathic disorder recover facial function. Initial treatment involves oral corticosteroids, possible antiviral drugs, and protection of the eye from desiccation. A small subset of patients may be left with incomplete recovery, synkinesis, facial contracture, or hemifacial spasm. A combination of medical and surgical treatment options exist to treat the long-term sequelae of Bell's palsy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Kavita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vakharia
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Maryland Medical School, 419 West Redwood Street, Suite 370, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. Electronic address: kvakharia@smail.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Kalpesh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vakharia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D020330:Bell Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anti-viral; Bell’s palsy; Facial paralysis; Herpes simplex virus (HSV); Steroid