A Cochrane review 1 (review [Abstract]) included seven studies with a total of 895 subjects. Overall 79/452 (17%) of the participants allocated to corticosteroids had incomplete recovery of facial motor function six months or more after randomisation, significantly less than 125/447 (28%) in the control group (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.80). The number of people who need to be treated with corticosteroids to avoid one incomplete recovery was 10 (95% CI 6 to 20). There was, also, a significant reduction in motor synkinesis during follow-up in those receiving corticosteroids (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.91). The reduction in the proportion of patients with cosmetically disabling sequelae six months after randomisation, however, was not significant (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.40 to 2.29).
Primary/Secondary Keywords