Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T08:45:34.948Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Potential association between recurrent facial nerve palsy and migraines

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 September 2020

G Kontorinis  and
A Tyagi
G Kontorinis*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
A Tyagi
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Georgios Kontorinis, Department of Otolaryngology, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, 1345 Govan Road, GlasgowG51 4TF, Scotland, UK E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the possible association between recurrent facial nerve palsy and migraines.

Method

This study was a prospective case series with a two-year follow-up at an academic, tertiary referral centre and included patients with at least four episodes of recurrent lower motor neuron facial nerve palsy. All patients underwent standardised diagnostic tests.

Results

Four patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The patients were all female with an average age at presentation of 40.75 years (range, 33–60 years) and an average age at the initial episode of 14 years (range, 12–16 years). The number of episodes varied between six and nine. All patients had at least one episode of facial nerve palsy on the contralateral side. Two patients were diagnosed and treated for migraine with aura remaining asymptomatic following prophylactic medication for migraines.

Conclusion

The results raise the possibility of an association between recurrent facial nerve palsy and migraines. Prospective studies in patients with even fewer episodes of facial nerve palsy could shed more light on this association.

Keywords

Bell's PalsyFacial NerveHeadacheMigraine
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 134 , Issue 9 , September 2020 , pp. 822 - 825
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Dr G Kontorinis takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

References

International Headache Society. The international classification of headache disorders, 3rd edn. Cephalgia 2018;38:1–211CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dodick, DW. Migraine. Lancet 2018;391:1315–30CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silberstein, SD. Migraine symptoms: results of a survey of self-reported migraineurs. Headache 1995;35:387–96CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stolle, B, Holle, D, Naegel, S, Diener, HC, Obermann, M. Vestibular migraine. Cephalgia 2015;35:262–70CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lipton, RB, Bigal, ME, Diamond, M, Freitag, F, Reed, ML, Stewart, WF et al. Migraine prevalence, disease burden, and the need for preventive therapy. Neurology 2007;68:343–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kontorinis, G, Tyagi, A, Crowther, JA. Recurrent vertigo associated with headaches. BMJ 2018;363:k1807CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
English, JB, Stommel, EW, Bernat, JL. Recurrent Bell's palsy. Neurology 1996;47:604–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bauer, CA, Coker, NJ. Update on facial nerve disorders. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 1996;29:445–53CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zachariah, J, Patel, P. Facial pain with recurrent facial palsy. Headache 2003;43:700–1CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
House, JW, Brackmann, DE. Facial nerve grading system. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1985;93:146–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwedt, TJ, Chiang, CC, Chong, CD, Dodick, DW. Functional MRI of migraine. Lancet Neurol 2015;14:81–91CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gupta, VK. Recurrent facial palsy in migraine: mechanistic considerations. Headache 2005;45:258–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lance, JW, Zagami, AS. Ophthalmoplegic migraine: a recurrent demyelinating neuropathy? Cephalalgia 2001;21:84–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelman, L. Pain characteristics of the acute migraine attack. Headache 2006;46:942–53CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed