ReviewDeutsches Arzteblatt international2019
The Diagnosis and Treatment of Idiopathic Facial Paresis (Bell's Palsy).
Review in Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07514117 (Electroacupuncture With Different Pulse Patterns for the Post-acute Phase of Bell's Palsy), which is not on this map. Cited by 78 papers, 5 of them syntheses 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.
Electroacupuncture With Different Pulse Patterns for the Post-acute Phase of Bell's Palsy: a Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial With Surface Electromyography Evaluation
Who cites it
78 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 189 citations in OpenAlex.
- The efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for peripheral facial paralysis: an overview of systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Physical therapy for facial nerve paralysis (Bell's palsy): An updated and extended systematic review of the evidence for facial exercise therapy.Clinical rehabilitation · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness comparisons of antiviral treatments for Bell palsy: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Journal of neurology · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Pharmacological and Physical Therapies for Bell's Palsy: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Pooled it
- Facial nerve electrodiagnostics for patients with facial palsy: a clinical practice guideline.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2020Guideline
- Electrophysiological responses to Kabat motor control re-education on Bell's Palsy: A randomized controlled study.Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions · 2023Trial
- Deep Learning-Based Surface Nerve Electromyography Data of E-Health Electroacupuncture in Treatment of Peripheral Facial Paralysis.Computational and mathematical methods in medicine · 2022Trial
- Article
- Evaluation of the Systemic Inflammatory Landscape and C1q/TNF-Related Protein Profiles in Facial Paralysis.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Article
- Transformative biomechanics and mechanobiology breakthroughs shaping the future of health and medicine.Innovation (Cambridge (Mass.)) · 2026Review
- Unilateral facial palsy with hemiplegia and positive anti-GT1a antibody: a case report and literature review.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- A commentary on "Epineurectomy of extracranial facial nerve trunk for non-flaccid sequelae following Bell's Palsy: a single-arm trial".International journal of surgery (London, England) · 2026Article
- Serum and CSF cytokine profile in patients with facial palsy (Bell's palsy): a pilot study.Journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Article
- Investigation of the Effects of the Timing of Decompression and Topical Mitomycin-C Application on Nerve Regeneration in a Rat Model of Bell's Palsy.Turkish archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2025Article
- Article
- Need for Routine Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Unilateral Facial Palsy in Emergency Department.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Exploring the Causal Relationship Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Bell's Palsy Based on Inflammatory Proteins: A Mendelian Randomization Study.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Diagnosing facial synkinesis using artificial intelligence to advance facial palsy care.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Surgical management of patients with corneal lesions due to lid pathologies.World journal of clinical cases · 2025Article
18 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeripheral facial nerve palsy is the most com- mon functional disturbance of a cranial nerve. 60-75% of cases are idiopathic.
methodsThis review is based on a selective literature search proceeding from the current, updated German-language guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic facial nerve palsy.
resultsThe recommended drug treatment consists of prednisolone 25 mg bid for 10 days, or 60 mg qd for 5 days followed by a taper to off in decrements of 10 mg per day. This promotes full recovery (number needed to treat [NNT] = 10; 95% confidence interval [6; 20]) and lessens the risk of late sequelae such as synkinesia, autonomic disturbances, and contractures. Virostatic drugs are optional in severe cases (intense pain or suspicion of herpes zoster sine herpete) and mandatory in cases of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. Corneal protection with dexpanthenol ophthalmic ointment, artificial tears, and a nocturnal moisture- retaining eye shield has been found useful in practice. In cases of incomplete recovery with residual facial weakness, both static and microsurgical dynamic methods can be used to restore facial nerve function.
conclusionBecause 25-40% of cases of facial nerve palsy are not idiopathic, differential diagnosis is very important; key diagnostic methods include a clinical neurological examin- ation, otoscopy, and a lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid examination. High-level evidence supports corticosteroid treatment for the idiopathic form of the disorder.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.