Comparison of the efficacy of various doses of steroids for acute facial palsy

Abstract

Background: Although steroids are effective for multiple types of acute facial palsies, an appropriate dosage remains to be established.Aims/Objectives: The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of high, low, and moderate doses of steroids in patients with acute facial palsy.Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 49 patients with Bell palsy, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, or traumatic facial palsy. The patients were divided into 3 groups. We determined the initial House-Brackmann (HB) grade of each patient and the HB grade at the 3-month follow-up to determine whether complete recovery was achieved.Results: Results of electroneurography showed that the average and maximum rates of degeneration were not statistically different among the groups. Although the HB grade showed improvement after 3months, the initial score was not significantly different from that at the follow-up. The degree of recovery was not significantly different among the groups.Conclusion and significance: Our findings showed that a high dose of steroids did not achieve outcomes that were more clinically meaningful than did that of a moderate or a low-dose steroid. Therefore, moderate or low doses of steroids may be sufficient for the treatment of acute facial palsy.