A Focal Pontine Infarct Presenting as Unilateral Facial Nerve Paralysis
| Autor: | Mauli Shah, Kelsey Burson, Kyle Van Dommelen, Joshua Mastenbrook, Laura Bauler |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
bell’s palsy
facial paralysis 030204 cardiovascular system & hematology 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Vertigo Bell's palsy medicine Paralysis pontine infarct Palsy biology business.industry General Engineering medicine.disease biology.organism_classification Facial nerve stroke Facial paralysis stomatognathic diseases Anesthesia Vomiting Emergency Medicine Facial colliculus medicine.symptom business 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | Cureus |
| ISSN: | 2168-8184 |
| Popis: | Brainstem infarction typically presents with vague symptoms, including headache, nausea, vomiting, and vertigo. Rarely do patients present with complete unilateral facial paralysis, mimicking Bell's palsy. Here we report the case of a 40-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with intractable nausea, vomiting, and vertigo upon waking along with left-sided upper and lower extremity numbness and right-sided facial paralysis. Her atypical presentation of unilateral facial nerve paralysis in the context of nausea, vomiting, and vertigo prompted neurological studies, which were significant for a small punctate infarct in the pons involving the right facial colliculus. History, physical examination, and clinical suspicion are important to prevent anchoring bias. Physicians rely on history and physical examination to help distinguish true Bell's palsy from other causes of facial nerve paralysis. Stroke and other clinically emergent etiologies should be considered high on the differential diagnosis when patients have neurological signs and symptoms in addition to facial nerve palsy. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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