What treatments are available for facial palsy?

  The treatment of facial palsy mainly includes conservative treatment methods and surgical treatment. For central facial palsy the main treatment is for the primary disease including the treatment of cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, etc.  For peripheral facial palsy, non-surgical treatment (conservative treatment) includes: (1) Drug therapy: commonly used drugs include glucocorticoids, antiviral drugs, vasodilators, dehydrating agents, B vitamins and neurotrophic drugs, etc.  (2) Hyperbaric oxygen therapy.  (3) Physical therapy: infrared light, massage, etc.  (4) Corneal protection: Since the eyelids cannot be closed, local eye ointment and eye drops can be used, and eye pads can be used to prevent corneal drying and dust damage, and eyelid suturing can be performed for severe patients to avoid damage to the cornea.  (5) Painkillers: Painkillers can be applied appropriately when the ear is in severe pain.  (6) Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture and other treatments: they can play an auxiliary treatment role.  In the acute period (1-2 weeks), it is not appropriate to treat with strong stimulation such as acupuncture, etc. After the acute period, acupuncture can be used, and early treatment may cause complications. Surgical treatment: According to the degree of facial injury, surgery is required for greater than 90% degeneration within 6 d after injury. For complete facial palsy, while facial nerve electrogram and facial nerve excitation experiment suggest irreversible lesions, early facial nerve decompression should be done in a timely manner, and the recovery of facial nerve function can reach more than 85% within 1-3 months of facial nerve decompression. 6-12 months of facial nerve decompression still has certain efficacy. For trauma-induced cases, some treatments such as facial nerve canal exploration and nerve grafting may be required. The definition of surgery and conservative treatment is based mainly on neurography and electromyography.