顔面神経麻痺に対する低出力レーザー治療の効果

Abstract

Seven cases of peripheral facial palsy, who were patients of our hospital's dermatological clinic, were treated with diode low power laser therapy while another seven cases, who were patients of our hospital's otolaryngological clinic, were treated with a combination therapy consisting of low power laser and corticosteroid therapy, over the past one and half years. The clinical efficacy of the two regimens were analysed so that the comparison could be made utilizing a separate corticosteroid therapy group as the control.Those patients who had received laser therapy showed a very similar overall recovery from the palsy when compared to those treated with corticosteroid, however those patients who had received the combination therapy showed the best recovery in the shortest period. No clinically significant adverse effect resulting from the low power laser therapy was noted. Our results suggest that low power laser therapy would be a suitable alternative treatment for those facial palsy patients for whom corticosteroid is not manageable, and furthermore that low power laser therapy would be an adjunctive treatment for those facial palsy patients for whom corticosteroid is manageable.