• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.395-402
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• 2023

Bell's palsy is an acute facial paralysis caused by peripheral facial nerve dysfunction. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of Korean medicine in the treatment of three patients who were hospitalized and diagnosed with Bell's palsy within 2 weeks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. The patients were administered with Korean medicine treatments, steroids, and antiviral drugs. Moreover, the Korean medicine treatments include acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, moxibustion, physical therapy, and herbal medicine. Symptom improvement was evaluated daily using the Yanagihara facial nerve grading system, a facial function evaluation tool. Furthermore, it was suggested that the patients affected by Bell's palsy after COVID-19 infection may have a slower improvement in their treatment progress compared with those without COVID-19 infection in the acute stage.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제39권1호
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• pp.70-75
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• 2022

Two patients with sequelae of peripheral facial nerve palsy were treated with Facial Chuna Manual Therapy (FCMT) and acupuncture over 6 months. The House-Brackmann (HB) scale, facial nerve grading system 2.0 (FNGS), the scale of Peitersen, the scale of Murata, and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) were used to assess the effects of treatment. The HB scale, FNGS and NRS scores showed improvement for both patients (Case 1: HB scale 5 to 3, FNGS 4 to 2, NRS 10 to 5; Case 2: HB scale 5 to 3, FNGS 4 to 3, NRS 10 to 2.5) following 6 months of treatment. The scores for the Peitersen and Murata scales showed improvement over 6 months in Case 1 (Peitersen 2 to 1, Murata 10 to 7), but there was no change in Case 2 over the test period (4 months). FCMT and acupuncture may help patients with sequelae of facial palsy.

• 한방재활의학과학회지
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.87-94
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• 2023

This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of facial chuna manual therapy in treating the sequelae of Bell's palsy. Four patients were treated with facial chuna manual therapy once a week for 4 weeks, consisting of facial muscle massage, acupoint pressure, contracture chuna, and synkinesis chuna. The changes in symptoms (contracture and sysnkinesis) were measured using the Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale (SFGS), Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), Facial Disability Index (FDI), Contracture/Synkinesis scale using a facial scanning system, Numeric Rating scale (NRS) for synkinesis or contracture, and Was It Worth It questionnaire. After treatments, SFGS, Contracture/Synkinesis scale, and NRS for synkinesis or contracture showed significant improvements. SFGS increased in three cases from 39~76 to 52~85 score. SAQ decreased in two cases from 53.33~57.78 to 40.00~55.56. FDI increased in three cases from 120~128 to 138~145. These results suggest that Korean medicine treatment, including facial chuna manual therapy can be effective in improving the sequelae of Bell's palsy.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.204-209
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• 2019

For a minimally invasive approach to access the facial nerve, we designed an extended epitympanotomy via a transmastoid approach that has proven useful in cases of traumatic facial nerve palsy and pre-cholesteatoma. To evaluate the surgical exposure through an extended epitympanotomy, six patients with traumatic facial nerve palsy were enrolled in this study. The same surgical technique was used in all patients. Patients were assessed and the degree of facial nerve paralysis was determined prior to surgery, 1-week post-operatively, and 6-months post-operatively using the House-Brackmann grading system. In all cases, surgical exposure was adequate. All patients with traumatic facial nerve palsy were male and the age range was 13 to 83 years. In all cases, the location of the facial nerve damage was limited to the area between the first and second genu. Symptoms of all the patients improved by 6 months post-operation (p=0.024). There were no complications in any of the patients. Extended epitympanotomy is useful for safe, rapid surgical exposure of the attic area, sparing the patient post-operative dimpling, skin incision complications, and lengthy exposure to anesthesia. We suggest that surgery for patients with facial nerve palsy secondary to trauma be performed using this described technique.

• 대한청각학회지
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.204-209
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• 2019

For a minimally invasive approach to access the facial nerve, we designed an extended epitympanotomy via a transmastoid approach that has proven useful in cases of traumatic facial nerve palsy and pre-cholesteatoma. To evaluate the surgical exposure through an extended epitympanotomy, six patients with traumatic facial nerve palsy were enrolled in this study. The same surgical technique was used in all patients. Patients were assessed and the degree of facial nerve paralysis was determined prior to surgery, 1-week post-operatively, and 6-months post-operatively using the House-Brackmann grading system. In all cases, surgical exposure was adequate. All patients with traumatic facial nerve palsy were male and the age range was 13 to 83 years. In all cases, the location of the facial nerve damage was limited to the area between the first and second genu. Symptoms of all the patients improved by 6 months post-operation (p=0.024). There were no complications in any of the patients. Extended epitympanotomy is useful for safe, rapid surgical exposure of the attic area, sparing the patient post-operative dimpling, skin incision complications, and lengthy exposure to anesthesia. We suggest that surgery for patients with facial nerve palsy secondary to trauma be performed using this described technique.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.129-143
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• 2009

Objective : This study was aimed to investigate the general features and differences between obesity and skinniness of patients with Bell's palsy. Methods : We measured the sex, age. BMI. pulse diagnosis and HBGS (House-Brackmann Grading System) of 234 patients who were diagnosed with Bell's palsy. Results and Conclusions : The results with statistical significance were as follows (1) The distribution of age revealed that 40s was the most at 30.8 %: (2) The improvement period in facial palsy patients with sub-paralysis was shorter than whole-paralysis. And in one part the more we treated, the shorter the improvement period was: (3) In distribution of fat rate in facial palsy patients, obesity was the most at 61.37%, low weight 15.88%. So we found that the fatter the patients was. the higher the onset rate was: (4) In distribution of pulse diagnosis in facial palsy patients with obesity. the ratio of Xu mai (虛脈) was 67.06%. Shi mai (實脈) 32.94%. The Xu mai was similar to Qi xu (氣虛). So we found that the facial palsy patients with obesity were more Qi xu than with low weight. In distribution of pulse diagnosis in facial palsy patients with skinniness, the ratio of Chi mai (遲脈) was none. Shuo mai (數脈) was most: (5) In distribution of region in facial palsy patients with obesity-Xu mai. the ratio of left was 45.10%, right 54.90%, but this result was not statistically significant.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.89-93
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate that thermal imaging is objective and effective to evaluate the severity of Bell's palsy. We investigated 19 cases of patients in college of Oriental Medicine, Iksan Oriental medical hospital at Wonkwang university who were diagnosed with Bell's palsy. The degree of palsy was evaluated with House-Brackmann grading system(HBGS) before treatment, then the thermal difference of the face was calculated by thermal imaging, and finally the correlation between HBGS and thermal difference was analyzed. The significance correlation was found between HBGS and thermal imaging's thermal difference. According to the images taken from 17 patients' DITI's temperature value and HBGS's palsy grade, they significantly were correlated. As thermal imaging's thermal differences got larger in number, the palsy grade had increased. These results suggest that thermal imaging identified to be a relatively objective examination method for evaluating the severity of Bell's palsy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.181-189
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• 2006

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to compare the improvement of facial paralysis due to mastoiditis and bells palsy. Methods : Fifteen patients with facial paralysis due to mastoiditis and Fifteen patients with bells palsy who visited the Daejeon Oriental Medical Hospital of Daejeon University were evaluated. Evaluation was carried out by Yanagihara's unweighted grading system. Results : 1. According to bells palsy and facial paralysis due to mastoiditis, in grade comparison between two groups according to cure period, there is no difference between the averages of both groups. 2. According to bells palsy and facial paralysis due to mastoiditis, theraputic effects are similarly increased between two groups. 3. According to bells palsy and facial paralysis due to mastoiditis, In cure score change according to cure period, there is grade difference according to cure period. Conclusion : With this result, when the same treatment is done to bells palsy and facial paralysis due to mastoiditis, there is the same theraputic significance.

• 한방재활의학과학회지
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.175-187
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• 2009

Objectives : This study was performed to evaluate the effect of facial rejuvenation acupuncture on cases of sequela of facial nerve palsy. Methods : This study was carried out in respect of 5 cases of sequela of facial nerve palsy patients which had been treated in Dong-Shin university oriental hospital from 2009 year with House-Brackmann grading system(HBGS) above Grade IV. In this study the patients were treated by facial rejuvenation acupuncture. The effect of the treatment were evaluated via scales and picture. Results : After treatment with facial rejuvenation acupuncture, 5 patients improved H-B scale and symptoms of the sequela of facial nerve palsy. The average of H-B scale was increased from 3.2 to 6.4. There also formed forehead folds, better blinking of the eyes and improved asymmetry of the left and right face. Conclusions : In the study, facial rejuvenation acupuncture showed marked improvement in sequela of facial nerve palsy. Randomized-controlled trial for further evaluation will be needed in the future.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제43권5호
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• pp.989-996
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to report a rare case of bilateral facial palsy after endoscopy and the effects of a series of traditional Korean medicine treatments applied to the patient. The patient was treated with Western oral medications for seven days and then with traditional Korean medicine consisting of acupuncture, moxa, and herbal medicine (Dodamgeopung-san-gami and Yukgungeopung-san-gami) for two months. Treatment progress was measured using the House-Brackmann grading system and Yanagihara's unweighted grading scale. We were able to notice some improvements in the patient's symptoms: the House-Brackmann scale went from 5/4 to 2/1, and the Yanagihara scale from 13/16 to 38/40. This study thus reports that traditional Korean medicine treatments can be applied to bilateral facial palsy found in rare cases and still be effective.