The aetiology of idiopathic facial nerve palsy (Bell's palsy) and sudden deafness are not known, although viruses have been suspected as a cause of them. We investigated the relationship between Bell's palsy or sudden deafness, and reactivation of cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and 7 (HHV-7).Paired sera were collected from 22 patients with Bell's palsy and 24 patients with sudden deafness. IgG antibody titres to HHV-7 were increased in one patient with Bell's palsy. IgG antibody titres to HHV-6 were increased in one patient with Bell's palsy and two with sudden deafness. IgG antibody titres to cytomegalovirus were increased in one patient with sudden deafness. Titres of the three viral antibodies were not increased simultaneously in any patients. These viruses may contribute to the development of Bell's palsy or sudden deafness in some cases. It is, however, unlikely that these viruses are the main cause of Bell's palsy and sudden deafness in the majority of patients.

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Sleep study is important for the diagnosis of the sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), but it is somewhat difficult to perform and cannot be used to all patients with SAS. We propose a modified test, which may be easier and more useful.Patients are sedated with diazepam, and pernasal endoscopy is carried out to reveal the contracted portion of the upper respiratory tract and/or the origin of the snore. The frequency of apneic episodes is recorded at the same time. We examined six patients, three with sleep apnea syndrome and three with simple snoring, both with and without diazepam sedation.1) Apneic episodes were increased by diazepam treatment in SAS patients, but they were unchanged in simple snorers.2) The duration of apnea in SAS patients was not affected by diazepam treatment.3) The other characteristics of apnea ordinarily seen in SAS patients were not affected by diazepam.It is concluded that our new test can be useful in the diagnosis of SAS and the demonstration of the cause of snoring and the location of contractions of the air way.