Fast Five Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Bell Palsy?

Selim Benbadis, MD

Disclosures

September 29, 2015

The most widely accepted treatment for Bell palsy is corticosteroids. However, the use of steroids is controversial because most patients recover without treatment. Antiviral agents have also been studied in this setting, as have combinations of the two types of drugs.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that surgical repair by using a combination of procedures tailored to the patient's clinical findings works well for improving symptoms. Surgical options for Bell palsy include the following:

  • Facial nerve decompression

  • Suborbicularis oculi fat lift

  • Implantable devices (eg, gold weights) placed in the eyelid

  • Tarsorrhaphy

  • Transposition of the temporalis muscle

  • Facial nerve grafting

  • Direct brow lift

For more on the treatment of Bell palsy, read here.

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