Managing Peripheral Facial Palsy

Physicians frequently encounter patients with acute-onset peripheral facial palsy in the emergency department (ED). Although many cases are idiopathic (eg, Bell's palsy), others are associated with identifiable causes. Regardless of the cause, 85% of patients recover some function, with more than 70% achieving complete recovery.1 The most appropriate treatment depends on the cause, which is often unknown at the ED evaluation. We discuss our approach to patients with peripheral facial palsy according to available evidence and, when the evidence is less clear, our expertise in this area (Figure 1 and Table 1).

http://ift.tt/2zKtWXi