Bilateral facial paralysis is an uncommon clinical entity especially in the pediatric age group and occurs frequently as a manifestation of systemic disease. The most important causes are trauma, infectious diseases, neurological diseases, metabolic, neoplastic, autoimmune diseases and idiopathic disease (Bell's palsy). We report a case of an 11-year-old boy presenting with bilateral simultaneous peripheral facial paralysis. All possible infectious causes were excluded and the patient was diagnosed as having Bell's palsy (idiopathic). The most important approach in these cases is to rule out a life-threatening disease.
C1 [Gungor, Serdal; Raif, Sabiha Gungor; Arslan, Mujgan] Inonu Univ, Fac Med, Dept Pediat Neurol, TR-44280 Malatya, Turkey.