Thirty-seven children with facial palsy were examined in Chiba Children's Hospital between April 1989 and March 1994. We report the patients' characteristics, classification of the palsy and the clinical course.
1. Thirty-seven children (including 12 girls) were diagnosed, as facial palsy and accounted for 1.0% of all the ENT patients seen during the same period. Twenty-two children were under three years of age.2. In all of these patients, the palsy was unilateral peripheral facial palsy.
3. In 13 (35%) of the 37 children, the palsy was congenital unilateral facial palsy. In the 13 congenital children,5 had congenital unilateral lower lip palsy (CULLP). Of the 37 cases, Bell's palsy was found in 17 cases (46%), and 7 cases (19%) were found to have aquired facial palsy, excluding Bell's palsy.
4. All cases with congenital facial palsy had other complications. Seventy-five per cent had anomalies in their head and neck region.
5. None of the cases with congenital palsy, showed an improved clinical course. However, all of the cases with Bell's palsy were completely improved, irrespective of the degree of severity. In other cases with acquired facial palsy, the patient's condition was improved completely or to some degree.
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