Bell's palsy and stapedial reflex.

In Bell's palsy the stapedial reflex may be affected or not. The object of this paper was to study the evolution of the stapedial reflex and its latency pattern during the first weeks of paralysis and to correlate these parameters with the evolution of the disease. One hundred and thirty-three patients with Bell's palsy were evaluated, and the patients could be divided into 3 groups. Group 1 was composed of subjects in whom the stapedial reflex was present in the first week of paralysis and complete recovery of facial function occurred in 30-60 days. In group 2 the stapedial reflex reappeared between the eighth and thirty-fifth days post-onset and facial function recovered within 150 days. In group 3, the stapedial reflex reappeared between the thirty-sixth and seventieth day and some paralysis was still present after 1 year. These results suggest that the reflex is important for prognostic purposes.