bilateral lower motor neurone causes
Last reviewed 07/2021
Causes include:
- Guillain-Barre syndrome (post-infective polyneuritis)
- uveoparotid fever (a manifestation of sarcoidosis)
- poliomyelitis
- lepromatous leprosy - may cause bilateral facial nerve palsies
- facial nerves may be involved bilaterally in their intracerebral course by:
- cerebropontine angle tumours particularly acoustic neuromas)
- leukaemic infiltration
- granulomatous meningitis
- Melkersson's syndrome - facial palsy may be unilateral or bilateral
- Bell's Palsy - rarely may be bilateral
Bilateral facial weakness may also occur in myopathies and myasthenia gravis, which are not the result of facial nerve pathology.