In a prospective, controlled, and randomized study, we compared the outcome of 101 Bell's palsy patients treated with acyclovir (54 patients) or prednisone (47 patients). The acyclovir dosage was 2400 mg (800 mg three times a day) for 10 days, and prednisone was given as a single daily dose of 1 mg/kg of body weight for 10 days and tapered to 0 over the next 6 days. Minimum follow-up was 3 months in all patients. Patients in the prednisone group had better clinical recovery than those treated with acyclovir. Less degree of neural degeneration was observed in the prednisone group compared with acyclovir patients. The incidence of sequelae was the same in both groups. According to these results, in a 10-day treatment cycle acyclovir given 800 mg three times is not as useful as prednisone given 1 mg/kg of body weight once a day in patients with idiopathic facial nerve paralysis.

Most cochlear implant studies are focused on improvement of speech perception associated with implantation. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of cochlear implantation on quality of life changes in Spanish users. Thirty postlingually deaf patients fitted with a cochlear implant completed the Glasgow Benefit Inventory, a questionnaire dealing with communication abilities, and an open-ended questionnaire. The Glasgow Benefit Inventory revealed a positive effect in 93% of patients. The use of a cochlear implant significantly enhanced discrimination ability, telephone use and self-confidence. A high degree of satisfaction was achieved in all situations except with background noise. Ninety-six percent of patients would recommend the operation to a friend. A dramatic improvement in quality of life following cochlear implantation is revealed by a great majority of patients. The results cannot only be explained by enhancements to auditory perception.

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