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Bell’s palsy is defined as an isolated unilateral lower motor neurone facial weakness of no obvious cause. The incidence has been estimated at around 23 to 25 cases per 100 000 population annually.1 Although the prognosis is generally good, around 16% are left with varying degrees of permanent disability.2
The use of steroids and acyclovir in the treatment of Bell’s palsy has been addressed in two recent Cochrane reviews.3,4 These found no benefit from either but concluded that available studies were insufficiently powered to detect a treatment effect.
Neurologists are often asked by primary care physicians for treatment advice and in view of this uncertainty we were interested in studying the recommendations given. A questionnaire (appendix) was emailed to all consultant neurologists (n = 35) and specialist registrars (n = 21) in Scotland. Responses were collated at six weeks following an interim reminder. Fisher’s exact test was …
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Competing interests: none declared.