Early Prognostic Value of Electrophysiological Tests in Bell's Palsy – Estimating the Duration of Clinical Recovery

Bell's palsy is the most frequent disease of the seventh cranial nerve, with a good prognosis. More than 70% patients attain complete clinical recovery, with no noticeable residua. Persistent sequellas are usually noted in cases with profound axonal loss only. Electrophysiological tests may offer valuable information in defining the severity of nerve injury and a possible subsequent disfunction. For these reasons these tests could be significant prognostic parameters. Fifty patients with clinical signs of Bell's palsy were included in our investigation. We analysed clinical signs (the degree of facial muscle palsy) and electrophysiological tests (amplitude and latency of evoked muscle potential, latency of early component of Blink reflex) on the third, seventh and fourteenth day of the onset of palsy. Our results show that electrophysiological parameters are of early prognostic importance in Bell's palsy. Based on electrophysiological parametars, it is possible to predict the duration of clinical recovery and the outcome of the disease.