The use of basic fibroblast growth factor to treat intractable Bell's palsy administered via transcanal endoscopic ear surgery.

Purpose: Facial nerve decompression surgery is an invasive procedure which has hitherto been the main option for patients with severe intractable Bell's palsy which is resistant to drug treatment. We have developed a new salvage treatment for such patients by using minimally invasive transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES) to deliver the biological regenerative agent, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), to the damaged facial nerve.

Materials And Methods: An endoscopic salvage treatment group was studied prospectively and was made up of severe intractable Bell's palsy patients who did not respond to high dose steroid treatment and had an ENoG value of 5 % or less.

Benefits of High-Dose Corticosteroid and Antiviral Agent Combination Therapy in the Treatment of House-Brackman Grade VI Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.

Objective: Few large-scale investigations have been conducted on treatment of House-Brackmann grade VI (HB grade VI) Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) patients. We compared recovery rates among patients receiving a normal-dose corticosteroid (prednisolone [PSL] 60 mg/d) or high-dose corticosteroid (PSL 200 mg/d), both with or without an antiviral agents. Recovery rates were also examined based on the order of presentation of herpetic vesicles versus facial palsy.

The effect of insulin-like growth factor 1 on the recovery of facial nerve function in a guinea pig model of facial palsy.

The efficacy of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in the treatment of peripheral facial nerve palsy was investigated using an animal model. The facial nerve within the temporal bone was exposed and compressed by clamping. The animals were treated with either IGF-1 or saline which was topically administered by a gelatin-based sustained-release hydrogel via an intratemporal route.