Peripheral facial palsy and infections- findings and problems

Eighty-four patients of the Cologne University ENT Clinic with a diagnosis of idiopathic peripheral facial palsy (PEP) were examined - both clinically and virologically. In addition, examinations were carried out on 33 further PFP-patients from different practising physicians (Group B) where the clinical information, however, was much less detailed. In the ENT Clinical Group (84 patients), there was a total of 12 recent virus infections (9 varicella zoster virus, 2 herpes simplex virus, 1 coxsackie B4). Proof of a recent infection depended strongly on the diagnostic prerequisites: if early and paired sera were available a virological diagnosis was possible in 32% of the cases, while in some of the other patients a recent infection could at most be suspected by the serological results. Group B with the 33 unselected patients yielded no virologically significant results. The aetiological relationship between the virological findings and PEP is discussed.