Therapeutic management of traumatic facial palsy: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: Trauma is a common cause of facial nerve palsy, accounting for 3% of all cases. While many facial palsies resolve with medical treatment, some require surgical intervention. This systematic review aimed to determine the best therapeutic strategy for traumatic facial palsy.

METHODS

We reviewed eligible articles for patient demographics, pre-treatment assessment, parameters of selected treatment, type of treatment, outcomes, and post-treatment assessment.

RESULTS

Among 135 unique citations, 32 studies were considered eligible, reporting treatment data for 2079 patients. Most studies (n = 30) were case series. The main proposed therapeutic strategies were medical, surgical, or a combination of both. For almost all the selected studies, the House-Brackmann (HB) scale was used to estimate the severity of facial palsy.

CONCLUSION

Based on the existing literature, a standardized guideline for the treatment of traumatic facial palsy is not well delineated, due to the extreme heterogeneity of available therapeutic choices and the lack of standardized patient stratification.