Facial Nerve Paralysis Causes

1. See Also
   1. Bell's Palsy
   2. Cranial Nerve 7
2. Causes: General
   1. Bell's Palsy is idiopathic
   2. Below are listed other causes of Facial Nerve Paralysis
3. 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
4. Causes: Trauma
   1. Cortical injury
   2. Temporal BoneFracture
   3. Brain Stem injury
   4. Penetrating middle ear injury
   5. Barotrauma
      1. Altitude paralysis
      2. Scuba Diving
5. Causes: Endocrine
   1. Diabetes Mellitus
   2. Hyperthyroidism
   3. Pregnancy
   4. Hypertension
   5. Alcohol Abuse (Alcoholic Neuropathy)
6. 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. Influenza Vaccine and Influenza
   7. Lyme Disease
   8. HIV Infection
   9. Parotitis
   10. Meningitis or Encephalitis
   11. Mumps
   12. Mononucleosis
   13. Leprosy
   14. Coxsackievirus infection
   15. Syphilis
   16. Tuberculosis
   17. Botulism
   18. Mucormycosis
7. 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
8. 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
9. Causes: Toxic
   1. Thalidomide
   2. Tetanus
   3. Diphtheria
   4. Carbon Monoxide
   5. Lead Intoxication
10. Causes: Idiopathic
    1. Myasthenia Gravis
    2. Guillain-Barre Syndrome
    3. Sarcoidosis
    4. Familial Bell's Palsy
11. Causes: Iatrogenic
    1. Antitetanus serum
    2. Vaccine treatment for Rabies
    3. Mandibular block Anesthesia
    4. Head and neck surgery
12. References
    1. Zalvan (1999) Consultant 39(1):39-48
    2. Gilden (2004) N Engl J Med 351:1323-31 [PubMed]
    3. Holland (2004) BMJ 329:553-7 [PubMed]
    4. Tiemstra (2007) Am Fam Physician 76:997-1002 [PubMed]