Simultaneous Bilateral Facial Palsy in a Diabetic Patient

Unilateral facial paralysis is a relatively common condition with an incidence of 20–25 per 100,000 population. However, simultaneous bilateral facial palsy (facial diplegia) is an extremely rare clinical entity and occurs in 0.3–2% of facial paralysis patients (1). The annual incidence is approximately 1 per 5 million (2). A 78-year-old diabetic patient presented to the emergency room of our hospital with dysarthry and bilateral symmetrical facial weakness. He was unable to show his teeth, close his eyelids, or dilate his cheeks. From the neurologic examination, there were no other important findings, except for a minor instability during walking. The patient did not refer head injury or febrile viral infection in the recent past. We made the presumptive diagnosis of bilateral peripheral facial paralysis. Five weeks after his admission to our hospital, he made a full recovery. We have …