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Background: Peripheral facial nerve palsy is a relatively frequent, rather idiopathic, and isolated nonprogressive disorder with a tendency toward spontaneous recovery in children. It is primarily characterized by unilateral paresis or paralysis of the mimic musculature affecting verbal communication, social interactions, and quality of life. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical aspects and efficacy of different therapeutic modalities in the population of children and adolescents with acute peripheral facial nerve palsy, the quality and recovery rate in comparison to different therapy modalities and etiological factors as well as to determine parameters of recovery according to the age of patients. Methods: The retrospective study included children and adolescents (n=129) with an acute onset of peripheral facial nerve palsy, diagnosed and treated in the Clinic of Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth in Belgrade (2000-2018). The mean age of the patients was 11.53 years (SD±4.41). Gender distribution: 56.6% female and 43.4% male patients. Results: There were 118 (91.5%) patients with partial and 11 (8.5%) patients with complete paralysis. Left-sided palsy occurred in 67 (51.9%) patients, right-sided in 58 (45.0%), while there were 4 (3.1%) bilateral paralyses. The most common etiological factor was idiopathic (Bell’s palsy) - 74 (57.4%) patients followed by middle ear infections - 16 (12.4%). Regardless of etiology, age, and therapy protocols, there was a significant recovery in most of the patients (p<0.001), without significant differences in recovery rate. Comparison of inpatient and outpatient populations showed significant differences regarding the number of relapses, severity of clinical presentation, and recovery rate in relation to etiology. Conclusion: Bell’s palsy is shown to be the most common cause of peripheral facial nerve palsy in children and adolescents, regardless of gender. It is followed by mid-ear infections, respiratory infections, and exposure to cold. Most children and adolescents recovered in three weeks after initial presentation, regardless of etiology, age, and therapy.
Background: Peripheral facial nerve palsy is a relatively frequent, rather idiopathic, and isolated nonprogressive disorder with a tendency toward spontaneous recovery in children. It is primarily characterized by unilateral paresis or paralysis of the mimic musculature affecting verbal communication, social interactions, and quality of life. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical aspects and efficacy of different therapeutic modalities in the population of children and adolescents with acute peripheral facial nerve palsy, the quality and recovery rate in comparison to different therapy modalities and etiological factors as well as to determine parameters of recovery according to the age of patients. Methods: The retrospective study included children and adolescents (n=129) with an acute onset of peripheral facial nerve palsy, diagnosed and treated in the Clinic of Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth in Belgrade (2000-2018). The mean age of the patients was 11.53 years (SD±4.41). Gender distribution: 56.6% female and 43.4% male patients. Results: There were 118 (91.5%) patients with partial and 11 (8.5%) patients with complete paralysis. Left-sided palsy occurred in 67 (51.9%) patients, right-sided in 58 (45.0%), while there were 4 (3.1%) bilateral paralyses. The most common etiological factor was idiopathic (Bell’s palsy) - 74 (57.4%) patients followed by middle ear infections - 16 (12.4%). Regardless of etiology, age, and therapy protocols, there was a significant recovery in most of the patients (p<0.001), without significant differences in recovery rate. Comparison of inpatient and outpatient populations showed significant differences regarding the number of relapses, severity of clinical presentation, and recovery rate in relation to etiology. Conclusion: Bell’s palsy is shown to be the most common cause of peripheral facial nerve palsy in children and adolescents, regardless of gender. It is followed by mid-ear infections, respiratory infections, and exposure to cold. Most children and adolescents recovered in three weeks after initial presentation, regardless of etiology, age, and therapy.
The prognosis of children with Bell’s palsy remains unclear due to its relatively low incidence, and thus, the small number of patients included in individual studies. To evaluate the prognosis of children with Bell’s palsy and identify the predictive value of specific factors that contribute to complete recovery, a retrospective cohort study was conducted of all patients with Bell’s palsy who visited the outpatient clinic of our university hospital between January 2005 and December 2020. We identified the parameters associated with a favorable recovery after 6 months in pediatric patients with Bell’s palsy. Factors recorded for each patient included age, sex, side affected by palsy, time between symptom onset and start of treatment, treatment methods, and the House–Brackmann grade (H–B) grade. The results of the multivariable analysis revealed that the lower degree of initial facial nerve paralysis presented as H–B grade II–IV was a significant favorable prognostic factor (OR: 3.86; 95% CI: 1.27–11.70; p < 0.05). Our results showed that the most important factor influencing the complete recovery of Bell’s palsy in children was the lower initial H–B grade at initial presentation.
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