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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
19:53
Single-stage Dynamic Reanimation of the Smile in Irreversible Facial Paralysis by Free Functional Muscle Transfer
Published on: March 1, 2015
Recurrent Bell's palsy
Sung Hwa Dong1, Ah Ra Jung1, Junyang Jung2
1Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Summary
Recurrent Bell's palsy affects 6.5% of previously affected individuals, with no difference in prognosis based on the affected side. Recovery rates are lower for recurrent cases compared to primary Bell's palsy.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Ophthalmology
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Recurrent facial palsy, first described in 1871, lacks clear definitions, classifications, pathogenesis, and treatment guidelines.
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on recurrent Bell's palsy are notably absent in existing literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the clinical manifestations of recurrent Bell's palsy.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive search of SCOPUS, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EBSCO databases was performed up to May 1, 2018.
- Studies involving patients with recurrent Bell's palsy were identified using "recurrent Bell's palsy" and "recurrent facial palsy" as search terms.
- Twenty-seven studies with 1041 patients from 13 countries were analyzed, with five studies (191 patients) included in the meta-analysis.
Main Results:
- The mean incidence of recurrent Bell's palsy among previously affected patients was 6.5%.
- The recurrence rate varied from 0.8% to 19.4% across analyzed studies.
- No significant impact on prognosis was observed based on the sidedness of recurrent disease relative to the original episode.
Conclusions:
- Recurrent Bell's palsy has a mean incidence of 6.5% in patients with a prior history of the condition.
- Complete recovery occurred in 66.0% of all Bell's palsy patients, with lower recovery rates in recurrent cases versus primary cases.
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