{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]],"date-time":"2025-12-24T12:39:07Z","timestamp":1766579947849},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"6","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Emerg Med J"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2012,5,11]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2013,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>Bell's palsy is a non-life threatening disorder with important functional and psychosocial effects. While recent research has shown significant benefit from treatment with steroids in adults, there have been no conclusive studies demonstrating benefit in children. This study set out to explore the medium term resolution of symptoms in Bell's palsy presenting to the emergency department (ED).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Patients and Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>This was a retrospective cohort study of children attending an Irish paediatric ED with a diagnosis of Bell's palsy. Patients were identified via the ED database. The primary outcome measure was resolution at follow-up call (6\u201318\u2005months after presentation). Secondary outcome measures were ED treatment, imaging and time to resolution of symptoms.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>There were 48 presentations, involving 45 patients. Left and right-sided palsies were equally represented. Of these, 16 (33%) received prednisolone. MRI was performed in five cases (10%), four were normal and one did not change management. In follow-up telephone contact, of 35 presentations, 28 (80%, 95% CI 63% to 91%) had complete resolution, six (17%, 95% CI 7% to 34%) partial resolution to variable degrees and one patient showed no improvement. Of the 13 patients who had received prednisolone, nine (69%, 95% CI 39% to 91%) had complete resolution; of the 22 patients who were not treated with prednisolone 19 (86%, 95% CI 65% to 97%) had complete resolution (p=0.22).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>The majority of children with Bell's palsy have complete resolution of the facial weakness. Steroid use is highly variable and warrants a placebo controlled randomised trial.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/emermed-2012-201270","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,7,5]],"date-time":"2012-07-05T07:20:29Z","timestamp":1341472829000},"page":"444-446","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Medium term outcome in Bell's palsy in children"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"30","author":[{"given":"Roisin","family":"McNamara","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jennifer","family":"Doyle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mary","family":"Mc Kay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Keenan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Franz E","family":"Babl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2012,7,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.1","unstructured":"Hughes RAC Thomas PK . Oxford Textbook of Medicine, 5th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010."},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1468-1331.2002.00343.x"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa072006"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-4422(08)70221-7"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Salinas RA Alvarez G Daly F . Corticosteroids for Bell's palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis). Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2010;(3):CD001942.","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD001942.pub4"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lockhart P Daly F Pitkethly M . Antiviral treatment for Bell's palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis). Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009;(4):CD001869.","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD001869.pub4"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0887-8994(99)00099-5"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1052","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(54)90608-X","article-title":"Cortisone treatment of Bell's palsy","volume":"267","author":"Taverner","year":"1954","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"787","DOI":"10.1002\/lary.1978.88.5.787","article-title":"The true nature of Bell's palsy: analysis of 1,000 consecutive patients","volume":"88","author":"Adour","year":"1978","journal-title":"Laryngoscope"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"535","DOI":"10.1288\/00005537-198805000-00012","article-title":"Recurrent Bell's palsy: analysis of 140 patients","volume":"98","author":"Pitts","year":"1988","journal-title":"Laryngoscope"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s004310100836"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nic.2008.01.002"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0196-0644(96)70264-0"},{"key":"2024052700034091000_30.6.444.14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/lary.21163"}],"container-title":["Emergency Medicine Journal"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/emermed-2012-201270","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,27]],"date-time":"2024-05-27T07:04:29Z","timestamp":1716793469000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/emj.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/emermed-2012-201270"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2012,7,4]]},"references-count":14,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,5,13]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2013,6]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/emermed-2012-201270"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/emermed-2012-201270","relation":{},"ISSN":["1472-0205","1472-0213"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1472-0205","type":"print"},{"value":"1472-0213","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2012,7,4]]}}}