ReviewMedical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research2014
The neurologist's dilemma: a comprehensive clinical review of Bell's palsy, with emphasis on current management trends.
Review in Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 161 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of low-level laser therapy on management of Bell's palsy: a systematic review.Lasers in medical science · 2020Pooled it
- Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) Elastography as a diagnostic and monitoring tool for Bell's palsy: A Prospective Study.Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions · 2026Article
- Procedural-Based Contemporary Management of Bell's Palsy Long-Term Sequelae: A Narrative Review.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Review
- Initial Treatment and Referral Patterns for Acute Facial Palsy: Insights From Emergency Department Practices.The Laryngoscope · 2025Article
- Effects of phototherapy in patients with idiopathic facial palsy: Scoping review.The Japanese dental science review · 2024Article
- West Nile Virus: A Neglected Cause of Bell's Palsy?Cureus · 2024Article
- Depressive disorder and elevated risk of bell's palsy: a nationwide propensity score-weighting study.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Article
- The Rate of Occult Lesion Diagnosis in a Large Bell's Palsy Cohort.The Laryngoscope · 2024Article
- Incomplete Bell's Palsy Following Influenza Vaccination in a 7-Month-Old.Clinical pediatrics · 2023Article
- Comparison of 3 Grading Systems (House-Brackmann, Sunnybrook, Sydney) for the Assessment of Facial Nerve Paralysis and Prediction of Neural Recovery.Medeniyet medical journal · 2023Article
- Facial Nerve Palsy in a Five-Month-Old Infant.Cureus · 2023Article
- Recovery from Bell's palsy after treatment using uncultured umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells: A case report.World journal of clinical cases · 2023Article
- Review
- Efficacy of Electroacupuncture with Sparse-Dense-Wave on Patients Suffered Acute Facial Paralysis.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2023Article
- A Rare Case of an Isolated Facial Nerve Aplasia: Radiological Findings.Global pediatric health · 2023Article
- Cathelicidin-derived antiviral peptide inhibits herpes simplex virus 1 infection.Frontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Bell's Palsy: A Review.Cureus · 2022Review
- Bell palsy.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2022Article
- Acute Facial Nerve Palsy in Children: Gold Standard Management.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRecent advances in Bell's palsy (BP) were reviewed to assess the current trends in its management and prognosis. MATERIAL/
methodsWe retrieved the literature on BP using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Key words and phrases used during the search included 'Bell's palsy', 'Bell's phenomenon', 'facial palsy', and 'idiopathic facial paralysis'. Emphasis was placed on articles and randomized controlled trails (RCTs) published within the last 5 years.
resultsBP is currently considered the leading disorder affecting the facial nerve. The literature is replete with theories of its etiology, but the reactivation of herpes simplex virus isoform 1 (HSV-1) and/or herpes zoster virus (HZV) from the geniculate ganglia is now the most strongly suspected cause. Despite the advancements in neuroimaging techniques, the diagnosis of BP remains one of exclusion. In addition, most patients with BP recover spontaneously within 3 weeks.
conclusionsCorticosteroids are currently the drug of choice when medical therapy is needed. Antivirals, in contrast, are not superior to placebo according to most reliable studies. At the time of publication, there is no consensus as to the benefit of acupuncture or surgical decompression of the facial nerve. Long-term therapeutic agents and adjuvant medications for BP are necessary due to recurrence and intractable cases. In the future, large RCTs will be required to determine whether BP is associated with an increased risk of stroke.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.