نقش الكترودياكنوزيس و حس چشايي در تشخيص و تعيين پيش آگهي فلج طبيعي عصب هفتم (بل )

The role of electrodiagnosis (EMG, EEMG)and taste sense in diagnosis and prognosis of Bellʹs palsy

Bellʹs palsy is the most prevalent idiopathic facial paralysis. A study was carried out on 44 patients with peripheral nerve palsy to determine the predictive value of two electrodiagnostic methods, electromyography (EMG) and evoked electromyography (EEMG). EMG and EEMG were recorded on the fifth day and the third week of the onset of the disease. The cause of bellʹs palsy in eight patients (18.2%) was identified as neuropathy, trauma, diabetes and infection. Thirty patients (68.8%) suffered from taste sense disturbances and in 26 of them the problem resolved in one week but it continued in 4 patients. 14 patients showed a decrease in potential amplitude of more than 50%. After three weeks the EMG results comprised of normal in thirty cases (77%) and fibrillation and positive sharp waves (PSW) in 9 patients (33%). A higher decrease in amplitude in the first five days resulted in a higher probability of fibrillation and PSW. There was a significant relationship between restoration of taste sense and electromyography at three weeks (P<0.05). The study also showed that age of the patients is important in prognosis of bellʹs palsy. According to this survey the electrodiagnostic tests are valuable in prediction of Bellʹs palsy and there is a close association between the restoration of taste sense and the complication of the disease.