EM Cases · Bell palsy and cranial nerve palsies
Bell palsy vs stroke — facial palsy OSCE station
ACEM-style station testing forehead discrimination, steroid timing, eye protection, and Ramsay Hunt recognition.
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Study tools
Target exams
ACEMFRCEMABEMFRCPCCCFPEMEBEEM
Prompt
Acute unilateral facial droop with staff unsure whether to activate stroke pathway.
Station brief
Format. Clinical-management station, 11 minutes. You are the ED consultant.
Candidate instructions. Assess the patient, decide pathway, prescribe, and counsel eye care.[1][2]
References3ShowHide
- [1]Sullivan FM, Swan IR, Donnan PT, et al. Early treatment with prednisolone or acyclovir in Bell's palsy. N Engl J Med, 2007.PMID 17942873
- [2]Baugh RF, Basura GJ, Ishii LE, et al. Clinical practice guideline: Bell's palsy. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2013.PMID 24189771
- [3]Uscategui T, Dorée C, Chamberlain IJ, Burton MJ Antiviral therapy for Ramsay Hunt syndrome (herpes zoster oticus with facial palsy) in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2008.PMID 18843734