Clinical Characteristics of Dizziness Associated with Acute Peripheral Facial Palsy

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

<P><B>Background and Objectives</B></P><P>We aimed to assess the clinical significance of dizziness associated with acute peripheral facial palsy (APFP).</P><P><B>Subjects and Methods</B></P><P>Medical records of patients who visited an otorhinolaryngology clinic at a university hospital and were admitted for treatment of APFP between 2014 and 2016 were thoroughly reviewed.</P><P><B>Results</B></P><P>In total, 15.3% (n=15) of patients had dizziness. Continuous, rotatory dizziness without exacerbating factors was most common and frequently accompanied by nausea/vomiting. Dizziness disappeared within 1 week during the hospitalization period. Patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome (31.0%) had dizziness more frequently than those with Bell’s palsy (8.7%). In addition, higher hearing thresholds and pain around the ear was reported more often in dizzy patients (<I>p</I><0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the initial House-Brackmann grade of facial paralysis was solely associated with final recovery, but dizziness was not associated with prognosis.</P><P><B>Conclusions</B></P><P>Patients with APFP may have transient dizziness in the early stage, which may be more frequently accompanied by worse hearing thresholds and/or pain around the ear. However, these symptoms including dizziness seem to be unrelated to final prognosis.</P>