Bell’s palsy : new trends of treatment

الملخص EN

This Study was conducted on 150 patients presenting with unilateral Bell’s palsy of 1-7 day’s duration.

Their age ranged between 18 and 70 years.

They comprised 95 males and 55 females.

Patients who had a different etiology were excluded, as well as those who had contraindications to acyclovir or steroid therapy.

The patients were divided randomly into 3 groups, 50 patients each and treated for 10 days.

Group I received the conventional therapy in the form of prednisolone 1 mg/kg/day, short wave diathermy, faradic stimulation and exercises, plus acyclovir 400 mg five times daily.

Group II had pulsed acupuncture.

Group III had conventional therapy alone.

Complete recovery was achieved in 82 % of group I, 100 % of group II and 80 % of group III.

Contracture and synkinesis were most common in group III.