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Facial Nerve Paralysis Causes

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Facial Nerve Paralysis Causes, Cranial Nerve 7 Paralysis Causes, Bell's Palsy Differential Diagnosis

  • See Also
  1. Bell's Palsy
  2. Cranial Nerve 7
  1. Bell's Palsy is idiopathic
  2. Below are listed other causes of Facial Nerve Paralysis
  • Causes
  • Common
  1. Peripheral Nerve causes (Facial Muscle paralysis with forehead affected)
    1. Lyme Disease
    2. Otits Media or Mastoiditis
    3. Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
    4. Autoimmune Polyneuropathy (e.g. Guillain-Barre Syndrome, typically bilateral)
    5. Head or Neck Mass Lesion (e.g. Cholesteatoma)
  2. Central/Supranuclear causes (Facial Muscle paralysis with forehead spared)
    1. Cerebral mass lesion (e.g. tumor)
    2. Cerebrovascular Accident (typically with ipsilateral Hemiparesis or Hemiplegia)
    3. Multiple Sclerosis
  1. Cortical injury
  2. Temporal Bone Fracture
  3. Brain Stem injury
  4. Penetrating middle ear injury
  5. Barotrauma
    1. Altitude paralysis
    2. Scuba Diving
  • Causes
  • Endocrine
  1. Diabetes Mellitus
  2. Hyperthyroidism
  3. Pregnancy
  4. Hypertension
  5. Alcohol Abuse (Alcoholic Neuropathy)
  • Causes
  • Infection
  1. Malignant Otitis Externa (skull base Osteomyelitis)
  2. Acute or Chronic Otitis Media
    1. Gradenigo's Syndrome (CN V or CN VI)
  3. Mastoiditis
  4. Varicella Zoster Virus (Chicken Pox)
  5. Herpes Zoster Oticus (Ramsey-Hunt Syndrome)
    1. Herpetic Vesicles at auricle and external canal
  6. Cephalic Tetanus
  7. Influenza Vaccine and Influenza
  8. Lyme Disease
  9. HIV Infection
  10. Parotitis
  11. Meningitis or Encephalitis
  12. Mumps
  13. Mononucleosis
  14. Leprosy
  15. Coxsackievirus infection
  16. Syphilis
  17. Tuberculosis
  18. Botulism
  19. Mucormycosis
  • Causes
  • Tumor
  1. Facial Nerve neuroma
  2. Cholesteatoma
  3. Glomus jugulare tumor
  4. Primary Temporal Bone tumors
  5. Meningiomas
  6. Hemangioblastoma
  7. Hemangioma
  8. Pontine glioma
  9. Parotid tumor
  • Causes
  • Birth
  1. See Facial Nerve Injury from Birth Trauma
  2. Trauma (forceps delivery)
  3. Molding
  4. Congenital Facial Palsy
    1. Mobius syndrome
    2. Cardiofacial syndrome
  • Causes
  • Toxic
  1. Thalidomide
  2. Tetanus
  3. Diphtheria
  4. Carbon Monoxide
  5. Lead Intoxication
  • Causes
  • Autoimmune or Idiopathic
  1. Myasthenia Gravis
  2. Guillain-Barre Syndrome
  3. Sarcoidosis
  4. Familial Bell's Palsy
  • Causes
  • Iatrogenic
  1. Antitetanus serum
  2. Vaccine treatment for Rabies
  3. Mandibular block Anesthesia
  4. Head and neck surgery
  • References
  1. Zalvan (1999) Consultant 39(1):39-48
  2. Dalrymple (2023) Am Fam Physician 107(4): 415-20 [PubMed]
  3. Gilden (2004) N Engl J Med 351:1323-31 [PubMed]
  4. Holland (2004) BMJ 329:553-7 [PubMed]
  5. Tiemstra (2007) Am Fam Physician 76:997-1002 [PubMed]