Palsy – Treatment Efficacy by Drugs and Interferential Current Therapy

Bell's palsy also term idiopathic facial palsy has uncertain etiology. Controversy in management issue makes “Bell's palsy” a novel disorder. Although majority of patients regain their normal or near normal facial motor function, certain percentage of sufferers shows incomplete motor function recovery of peripheral VII cranial nerve with or without troublesome synkinesis. At this context, a randomized clinical trial was made to see the efficacy of interferential current along with medical management for therapeutic benefit and to prevent long term sequallae. Some other important issue like natural history, reactivation of HSV – Type 1 viral etiology, medical, surgical and acupuncture treatment were reviewed.

A prospective clinical trial was made among 27 cases (n = 14 male and n -13 female) of various age (8 yrs. to 80 yrs.) with the use of interferential current, prednisolone, acyclovir, neurotropic vitamins. House – Brackmann grading system was used to assess facial nerve function score and cases were enrolled irrespective of their onset of palsy from recent to late or very late, inclusion criteria was to exclude other possible causes, but trigeminal neuralgia, diabetes, hypertension and cardio-vascular diseases were considered to be associated illness. Treatment follow up was made from 1 week to 4 weeks. Results seem to be very encouraging with 25 out of 27 recovered to House – Brackmann grade 1 or 11. Co-existed diabetes took long time to recover and two cases which did not exhibit any response were of very late onset. Although framing of the study was made with a very small number of patients, author considered the approach to be applicable and rational in day to day out patient clinical practice for Bell's palsy.