Facial nerve paralysis in children: is it as benign as supposed?

Abstract

Background: Facial nerve paralysis is a common disease in children. Most of the patients show complete recovery. This single-center cohort study exclusively included pediatric patients to investigate the outcome of all patients with facial nerve palsy.

Methods: Hospital records of all the patients admitted to the Children's Hospital in Linz between January 2005 and December 2010 with facial nerve paralysis were reviewed. Patients with peripheral facial nerve palsy were invited for clinical reevaluation between July 2011 and October 2011. The House-Brackmann score was used for reassessment.

Results: Fifty-six patients agreed to return for an additional clinical reevaluation. Study participants were divided in two groups according to their House-Brackmann scores: group 1 (n = 44), with a score <2 were considered good outcomes, and group 2 (n = 12), with a score ≥ 2 showed persistent mild to moderate dysfunction of the facial nerve and were considered moderate outcomes. The most important finding was the difference of the reported time to remission (P = 0.003) between the groups.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that facial paralysis in children is not as benign as supposed. It is suggested that patients and their guardians be informed that a slight face asymmetry may persist, but functional recovery in general is excellent.