Does the stapes reflex remain the same after Bells palsy?
OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated the integrity and function of nervus stapedius 1 year after facial paralysis. STUDY DESIGN: Patients with Bell’s palsy were observed prospectively for 1 year and compared with healthy patients. SETTING: The follow-up of patients was done in the outpatient clinic and tests were applied in the audiology unit. PATIENTS: The mean age of 32 patients was 41.03 years. Eight of 32 patients were grade II (25%), 11 were grade III (35%), and 13 were grade IV (40%) according to House-Brackman grading system. The mean age of the control group (10 persons) was 36.5 years. INTERVENTION: Contralateral stimulus was used in acoustic reflex test at 500 and 1,000 Hz with 80-, 90-, 100-, and 110-dB stimulus intensity. Tests were applied in three ways: normal position, eye-closed position, and grin position. Tests were done in the first 15 days of facial paralysis and repeated at least 1 year thereafter. The millimeter difference in amplitude of impedance recording of mid
