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Facial nerve palsy due to birth trauma - Treatment

Alternative Names

Seventh cranial nerve palsy due to birth trauma

Treatment:

In most cases, the infant will be closely monitored to see if the paralysis goes away on its own.

Infants with permanent paralysis need special therapy.

Expectations (prognosis):

The condition usually goes away on its own.

Complications:

Occasionally the facial muscles on the affected side become permanently paralyzed.

Calling your health care provider:

The health care provider will usually diagnose this condition while the infant is in the hospital. However, mild cases involving just the lower lip may not be noticed at birth. A parent, grandparent, or other person may notice the problem later.

If the movement of your infant's mouth looks different on each side when he or she cries, you should make an appointment with your child's health care provider.

Reviewed last on: 7/10/2010
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Adams-Chapman I, Stoll BJ. Nervous system disorders. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 99.

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