Bell麻痺

The etiology of acute idiopathic peripheral facial palsy (Bell's palsy) remains to be clarified. Methods of the treatment of Bell's palsy currently advocated include observation alone, steroids, surgical decompression, and antiviral agents. The use of steroids in Bell's palsy was first proposed in a case report by Rothendler (1951). Since then, steroids has become the most common treatment for the Bell's palsy. However, there has been some controversy over steroids treatment. Surgical therapy has been even more controversial. Stennert (1981) reported excellent cure rates (96%) for Bell's palsy treated with high doses of steroids. Several reports supported the effectiveness of high dose steroids treatment. In this paper, it is advocated that use of high dose steroids is the first choice treatment for severe Bell's palsy.