Int. Adv. Otol. 2009; 5(3); 408-411

Bilateral facial paralysis - Can it be bell’s?
Hidayat Ullah,  Shakeel Moahhammad, Hasan Syed Abrar, Alam Moahammad

Department of Ent, Jnmch, Amu Aligarh India, drhidayetullah@gmail.com

Objective: Bilateral simultaneous facial palsy is an extremely rare clinical entity. The uneven manifestation of the two sides
may make it very difficult to identify a partial paralysis on one side resulting in an underestimation of the true incidence. Here
we present a representative case and discuss the most common causes of bilateral facial palsy as they relate to this particular
case.

Intervention: Because of the clinical presentation compatible with Bell’s palsy and exclusion of other possible causes she was
diagnosed as B/L Bell’s palsy and valacyclovir with prednisone was advised. She improved on this regimen and is under regular
follow up.

Conclusion: Diagnosis workup for a patient presenting with bilateral facial paralysis depends upon the history and careful
clinical examination. Bell’s palsy must be considered as a diagnosis in bilateral facial palsies after excluding serious underlying
medical conditions.