Peripheral facial paralysis as a consequence of acute otitis media: Physiopathology, associated factors and treatment

Abstract

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common disease in clinical practice. Facial nerve palsy is an uncommon complication of AOM, with an incidence of 0.005%. It is estimated that this incidence was 0.5 to 0.7% before the emergence of antibiotic therapy. This complication is believed to be due to inflammatory edema in the facial nerve canal with consequent ischemia and neuropraxia [1]. The exact pathophysiological mechanism by which acute otitis media leads to facial paralysis is unclear. It is assumed that there is a relationship with the anatomical intimacy between the facial nerve and the temporal bone [2,3].