The Utility of Facial Nerve Ultrasonography in Bell's Palsy
- Authors
- Baek, Seol-Hee; Kim, Yoo Hwan; Kwon, Ye-Ji; Sung, Joo Hye; Son, Myeong Hun; Lee, Jung Hun; Kim, Byung-Jo
- Issue Date
- Feb-2020
- Publisher
- American Academy of Otolaryngology
- Keywords
- Bell's palsy; ultrasonography; facial nerve; cranial nerve
- Citation
- Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, v.162, no.2, pp 186 - 192
- Pages
- 7
- Indexed
- SCIE
SCOPUS
- Journal Title
- Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
- Volume
- 162
- Number
- 2
- Start Page
- 186
- End Page
- 192
- URI
- https://scholarworks.korea.ac.kr/kumedicine/handle/2020.sw.kumedicine/1044
- DOI
- 10.1177/0194599819896298
- ISSN
- 0194-5998
1097-6817
- Abstract
- Objective
This study aimed to investigate the utility of facial nerve ultrasonography in the functional and structural assessment of early-stage Bell’s palsy and the prognostic value of facial nerve ultrasonography in Bell’s palsy.
Study Design
Prospective longitudinal study.
Setting
Single center, a university-affiliated neurology clinic.
Subjects and Methods
Patients with unilateral Bell’s palsy who had visited our clinic within 3 days of symptom onset were enrolled in this study. Demographic information and House-Brackmann grade were collected. Electrophysiologic studies and facial nerve ultrasonography were then performed. The facial nerves on each side were scanned longitudinally with a 5- to 12-MHz probe. The diameter of the facial nerves with and without the sheath was measured at the proximal and distal portions. Follow-up examinations, including House-Brackmann grade analysis, electrophysiologic studies, and facial nerve ultrasonography, were performed after 2 months.
Results
Fifty-four patients with unilateral Bell’s palsy were enrolled, and 22 underwent the follow-up examinations. The diameters of the facial nerves were larger on the affected side than on the unaffected side at the proximal and distal portions (P <. 01). On the affected side, the enlarged facial nerve at the proximal portion had decreased in size after 2 months (P <. 05). The initial ultrasonography findings were positively correlated with the initial severity of Bell’s palsy, but they did not predict prognosis.
Conclusion
Ultrasonography could be a useful tool for evaluating the facial nerve in Bell’s palsy. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to demonstrate its prognostic value.
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- Appears in
Collections - 2. Clinical Science > Department of Neurology > 1. Journal Articles
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