Summary Objective Recovery from acute Bell's palsy (BP) is variable and there are few
predictors of response. We evaluated the usefulness of a range of neurophysiological
parameters to predict outcome in BP. Methods Fifty-nine patients (age: 33.7±15.4 years) with
acute unilateral BP were recruited within 3–7 days of onset. They were evaluated with
electroneurography, facial nerve excitability, and the blink reflex. House-Brackmann (HB)
clinical scores were obtained at the same time and three months later. All patients received
prednisolone treatment and regular rehabilitation. Results At three months, 41 patients
(69.5%) had good recovery, while 18 patients (30.5%) had poor recovery according to the
HB scale. The facial nerve excitability threshold and threshold difference between sides
were significantly lower in patients with good recovery than those with poor recovery (P …