Auditory postauricular responses in patients with peripheral facial nerve palsy.

Auditory postauricular response (PAR) was determined in 52 subjects with normal hearing and 83 patients with unilateral peripheral facial nerve palsy. PAR was induced bilaterally by bilateral aural stimulation in 50 (96%) of the 52 subjects. Determination of PAR in the 83 patients disclosed that the prognosis was significantly (p less than 0.01) better for those in whom PAR occurred within 4 weeks of onset, in comparison with those without PAR. PAR determination was thus considered to be a useful procedure for determining the prognosis of peripheral facial nerve palsy.