[Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome in a young man]

A 24-year-old man presented with orofacial swelling, peripheral facial palsy and fissured tongue. Apart from a previous episode of peripheral palsy, he had no history of illness. Biopsy of the lip, blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging of the head and lumbar puncture showed no pathology. He received systemic prednisone for ten days, and follow-up showed sparse improvement in facial movements. The patient could have been misdiagnosed with Bell's palsy, but the symptoms rather indicated a case of Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. This rare syndrome is presenting in oligo- or monosymptomatic forms and is often mistaken for Bell's palsy. There is no existing gold standard of treatment, and different modalities have been considered with no consistent response.