BrainWaves #42 There's more to the facial nerve than Bell palsy [2019 update]

MedLink Neurology Podcast is delighted to feature selected episodes from BrainWaves, courtesy of James E Siegler MD, its originator and host. BrainWaves is an academic audio podcast whose mission is to educate medical providers through clinical cases and topical reviews in neurology, medicine, and the humanities, and episodes originally aired from 2016 to 2021.

Originally released: June 20, 2019

You might think George Clooney gets his devilishly handsome smile from well-polished genes or a long history of acting lessons. As it turns out, he has mild residual weakness from a remote Bell palsy.

In this week's installment of the BrainWaves podcast, we've got even more factoids about the facial nerve as we revisit a prior show that originally aired in January 2017. We've touched up the audio a bit, so get comfortable and grab a pen; you may want to take notes on this one.

Produced by James E Siegler. Music courtesy of Marcos H. Bolanos, Jon Watts & Lee Rosevere. Sound effects by Mike Koenig and Daniel Simion. BrainWaves' podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used for clinical decision-making. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @BrainWaves audio for the latest updates to the podcast.

REFERENCES

Gaio E, Marioni G, de Filippis C, Tregnaghi A, Caltran S, Staffieri A. Facial nerve paralysis secondary to acute otitis media in infants and children. J Paediatr Child Health 2004;40(8):483-6. PMID 15265194

Gilden DH. Clinical practice. Bell's Palsy. N Engl J Med 2004;351(13):1323-31. PMID 15385659

Habel A. Ueber Fortbestehen von Tic convulsif bei gleichseitiger Hemiplegie. Deutsche Med Wchnschr 1898;24:189.

Sweeney CJ, Gilden DH. Ramsay Hunt syndrome. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2001;71(2):149-54. PMID 11459884

We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.