Management of facial palsy caused by birth trauma

We present a newborn with a unilateral complete facial palsy caused by birth trauma, and discuss the differential diagnosis, pathophysiology, and management of this common, usually benign, condition. This child made a rapid, complete, spontaneous recovery despite a severe initial injury. Surgical exploration of the facial nerve should be considered only for infants with complete paralysis, clinically and electrophysiologically, who demonstrate no improvement by 5 weeks of age.