Clinical feasibility of temporal bone magnetic resonance imaging as a prognostic tool in idiopathic acute facial palsy

• Published in: Journal of laryngology and otology Vol. 126; no. 9; pp. 893 - 896
• Main Authors: Jun, B C, Chang, K H, Lee, S J, Park, Y S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.09.2012
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Bell Palsy - diagnosis; Bell Palsy - pathology; Bell Palsy - physiopathology; Bells palsy; Biological and medical sciences; Clinical significance; Contrast Media; Ear, auditive nerve, cochleovestibular tract, facial nerve: diseases, semeiology; Edema; Facial Nerve - pathology; Facial Nerve - physiopathology; Feasibility Studies; Female; Gadolinium DTPA; Humans; Inflammation; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Nervous system as a whole; Neurological disorders; Neurology; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Patients; Prognosis; Quantitative analysis; Severity of Illness Index; Temporal Bone - innervation; Young Adult; United States > US; Temporal Bone; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Facial Nerve Palsy; Prognosis; Nervous system diseases; Temporal bone; Motor system disorder; Acute; Idiopathic; Facial paralysis; Facial nerve; ENT; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Cranial nerve disease; Medical imagery; ENT disease; Feasibility; Neurological disorder
• ISSN: 0022-2151; 1748-5460
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022215112001417

To assess the feasibility of temporal bone magnetic resonance imaging for evaluating the severity and prognosis of idiopathic acute facial nerve palsy. Forty-four patients with idiopathic acute facial nerve palsy who had undergone gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging were selected retrospectively. The degree of radiological facial nerve enhancement was determined using quantitative analysis (with region-of-interest measurements for separate facial nerve segments) and using subjective visual analysis. The clinical severity of facial nerve palsy was then correlated with the degree of facial nerve enhancement. The visually determined degree of facial nerve enhancement did not correlate significantly with the House-Brackmann grade at either the early or late stages (p > 0.05). Results using the region-of-interest system were similar (p > 0.05). Temporal bone magnetic resonance imaging is not essential for patients with acute facial nerve palsy.