A Case of Bilateral Facial Nerve Palsy Treated with Serial Stellate Ganglion Block

Choe, Huhn; Han, Young Jin; Ko, Seong Hoon; Choi, Hyeon Gyu; Jung, Se Jin; Park, Hyun Gyung

Abstract

Facial nerve palsy is not an uncommon disease encountered at the department of otolaryngology or pain clinic. It usually occurs following viral infection (Bells palsy, BP), However, it is rare to develop bilaterally, and that not simultaneously. We experienced a rare case of bilateral facial nerve palsy. Patient first experienced left side paralysis, then right side paralysis approximately two months later. We treated the patient with serial bilateral stellate ganglion blocks (SGB), When left side paralysis improved, we performed unilatertal SGB for right side paralysis. Patient was also treated with intermittent electro-acupuncture stimulations, to right side first, then left side. Four months of treatment provided good results. This may be the first case, in Korea, of facial nerve paralysis bilaterally within a certain interval, treated with serial SGB and electro-acupuncture stimulation. However, the etiology of this bilateral BP was not fully confirmed as being a cause of viral origin.