Discussion
DISEASE, TYPE 2 DIABETES
In this group of patients with suspected BP, routine MRI of the entire facial nerve identified underlying causes in 8 of 120 cases (6.7%), some of which could have been life-threatening. Asymmetric enhancement of 1 or more segments of the facial nerve (labyrinthine, tympanic, mastoid, and/or geniculate ganglion) was quasi-pathognomonic of BP, being identifiable in 106 of 112 patients with confirmed BP (94.6%). Apart from the severity of impairment (96 of 112 [85.7%] of patients with HB grades IV to VI in the confirmed BP group vs 4 of 8 [50.0%] of those in the nonidiopathic PFP group; In contrast, the 2014 US guidelinesAnother reason for performing MRI in presumed BP is to confirm the diagnosis, which is particularly important in view of the major effect of PFP on quality of life.Among the variables tested herein as potential associated factors, initial severity of the impairment and type 2 diabetes status were significantly associated with MRI evidence of causative disease. Patients in the nonidiopathic PFP group were more likely to have less severe symptoms at presentation (HB grade II or III). A low HB grade in BP is usually considered reassuring and a prognostic factor associated with good recovery.There is currently no international consensus on this subject,