Abstract
The present study consists of 65 patients of peripheral facial paralysis in which a comparison was made between the accuracy of nerve excitability test alone versus a battery of other prognostic tests. It was observed that when done serially nerve excitability alone is quite a reliable prognostic indicator for peripheral facial paralysis. However, in traumatic cases it was not so. Also the test may not indicate very small amounts of degenerative changes. Even then it was found to be the most useful test in view of its practicality, convenience, acceptability by the patient and frequent repeatability with quite a satisfying accuracy rate. Use of more than one test was found to add to the uncertainty rather than helping in choosing the cases with poor prognosis. Eighteen of 26 cases that exhibited poor prognosis on the electrical tests, agreed for surgery. Surgery included a nerve decompression in 16 cases and grafting in 2 cases. Eight cases which did not consent for surgery eventually showed poor recovery, as opposed to better quality of recovery observed in the operated group.
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Kumar, S., Bahadur, S. & Kacker, S.K. Prognostic value in facial paralysis : nerve excitability alone vs battery of tests. Indian J Otolaryngol 42, 99–103 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02993141
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02993141