Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2008 Oct 31;49(5):725-34.
doi: 10.3349/ymj.2008.49.5.725.

Comparison of facial nerve paralysis in adults and children

Chang Il Cha  1 , Chang Kee Hong, Moon Suh Park, Seung Geun Yeo
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of facial nerve paralysis in adults and children

Chang Il Cha et al. Yonsei Med J. .

Abstract

Purpose: Facial nerve injury can occur in the regions ranging from the cerebral cortex to the motor end plate in the face, and from many causes including trauma, viral infection, and idiopathic factors. Facial nerve paralysis in children, however, may differ from that in adults. We, therefore, evaluated its etiology and recovery rate in children and adults.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively evaluated the records of 975 patients, ranging in age from 0 to 88 years, who displayed facial palsy at Kyung Hee Medical Center between January 1986 and July 2005.

Results: The most frequent causes of facial palsy in adults were Bell's palsy (54.9%), infection (26.8%), trauma (5.9%), iatrogenic (2.0%), and tumors (1.8%), whereas the most frequent causes of facial palsy in children were Bell's palsy (66.2%), infection (14.6%), trauma (13.4%), birth trauma (3.2%), and leukemia (1.3%). Recovery rates in adults were 91.4% for Bell's palsy, 89.0% for infection, and 64.3% for trauma, whereas recovery rates in children were 93.1% for Bell's palsy, 90.9% for infection, and 42.9% for trauma.

Conclusion: These results show that causes of facial palsy are similar in adults and children, and recovery rates in adults and children are not significantly different.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of patients, distributed by age.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Percentage of recovered patients according to age.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Percentage of patients who recovered from Bell's palsy, infectious causes and herpes zoster oticus according to age.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kim IS, Shin SH, Kim J, Lee WS, Lee HK. Correlation between MRI and operative findings in Bell's palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Yonsei Med J. 2007;48:963–968. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Danielidis V, Skevas S, Van Cauwenberge P, Vinck B. A comparative study of age and degree of facial nerve recovery in patients with Bell's palsy. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 1999;256:520–522. - PubMed
    1. Ikeda M, Abiko Y, Kukimoto N, Omori H, Nakazato H, Ikeda K. Clinical factors that influence the prognosis of facial nerve paralysis and the magnitudes of influence. Laryngoscope. 2005;115:855–860. - PubMed
    1. May M. Differential diagnosis by history, physical findings, and laboratory results: clinical-pathologica Correlation. In: May M, editor. The facial nerve. New York: Thieme Inc; 1986. pp. 181–216.
    1. Kim JS, Kim LS. Diagnosis and treatment of peripheral facial nerve paralysis. Seoul symposium. 1985;1:153–206.

Publication types