Effect of etiological factors on treatment success of pediatric facial paralysis: Success of facial paralysis in children

Facial paralysis is a clinical condition that causes anxiety in the family and is one of the reasons for urgent admission to the hospital. The purpose of this article is to evaluate to reveal the relationship between etiology and treatment results in childhood facial paralysis. Thirty-three patients who presented with facial paralysis between May 2018 and May 2020, had adequate follow-up were included in the study. Data were reviewed age, gender, side, etiology, features of family, treatment, results, and recurrences. The ages of the cases ranged from 21 months to 17 years, with the mean age was 13.1 years. Ten of the cases were male (30.3%), 23 of them were female (69.7%). It was observed that 15 (45.4%) of the paralysis were on the right half of the face, 17 (51.5%) were on the left side of the face, and 1 (3.1%) had bilateral involvement. However, it was learned from the story that 3 cases had recurrence. Thirty-two (96.9%) of the cases were peripheral and 1 (3.1%) had central facial paralysis. No cause could be found in the etiology of other peripheral paralysis cases and it was considered as Bell Paralysis. According to the House Brackmann Stage at the time of admission of 30 patients who were given steroid treatment, 10 patients were evaluated as stage 6, 15 patients as stage 5, and 5 patients as stage 4. After 6 months of follow-up, 27 patients were evaluated as stage 1 and 2 patients as stage 2. Recurrence was not observed in any of the patients who recovered. It was concluded that etiology determines the success of treatment in facial paralysis.