J Korean Acad Rehabil Med.  1997 Jun;21(3):565-571.

Facial Nerve Conduction Study in Cured Leprosy Patients

• Shin H
• Yoon C
• Lee E
• Jeong Y
• Kang N
• Kim J

Abstract

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and characterized by dermal and peripheral nerve lesions. The facial nerve is also frequently involved in leprosy. There are a few electrophysiologic studies on the facial nerve involvement in leprosy patients, but there is no electrophysiologic study on the facial nerve involvement in cured leprosy patitents. So we performed facial nerve conduction study and Blink reflex study in 19 cured leprosy patients who have been managed with Dapsone for a long time. Facial motor latencies were prolonged in 11 patients(57.9%).: 10 of 15 patients in lepromatous type; 1 of 4 patients in tuberculoid type. Prolonged latencies were shown in temporal branch, zygomatic branch, buccal branch, and mandibular branch in 9(47.4%), 6(31.6%), 5(26.3%), and 3(15.8%), respectively. Blink reflex study suggests combined facial nerve and trigeminal nerve lesion in 2 patients.

Keyword

Leprosy; Facial nerve conduction study; Blink reflex study; Trigeminal nerve lesion

MeSH Terms

Blinking
Communicable Diseases
Dapsone
Facial Nerve*
Humans
Leprosy*
Mycobacterium leprae
Peripheral Nerves
Trigeminal Nerve
Dapsone