gms | German Medical Science

Objective: To explore the feasibility of measuring the facial muscles atrophy by Type-B Real-Time ultrasonography.

Method: 34 healthy youth volunteers were selected to be measured the thickness of their bilateral muscles: frontal muscle, depressor anguli oris muscle by type-B real-Time sonography and collect all relevant informations of the volunteers, such as height, weight.We retest 5 volunteers randomly one week later and two weeks later . And a total of 156 patients with severe Bell’s Palsy (HB gradeⅥ)were test from May 2009 to April 2011.

Results:

1.

There was no significant difference between the measurement results for three times of the 5 volunteers.

2.

Measurement of the 34 healthy volunteers showed: mean thickness of the frontal muscle, left was 0.1603cm and right 0.1618cm；the depressor anguli oris, left was 0.2603cm and right was 0.2624cm；They had no significant difference between bilateral. (P＞0.05);

3.

The facial muscles of males were thicker than females;

4.

Body mass index and the thickness of facial muscles was positively correlated(P＜0.05).

5.

Significant difference was found in Bell Palsy patients between the health and the sick side.

20% patients got frontal muscle atrophy, while 60% for depressor anguli oris atrophy in the first week. In the fourth week, these percents are increased to 34% for frontal muscle, while 90% for depressor anguli oris.

Conclusion: Using ultrasonography to measure the thickness of facial muscles was convenient, repeatable and stabile. and this method will be very useful to objective evaluate the facial atrophy. We found that the facial atrophy take place in the very early stage of the Bell Palsy.