Electrogustometry in Facial Palsy

Effect of Age and Severity of Facial Palsy on Taste Thresholds in Bell's Palsy Patients

“…EGM showed that the electrical taste thresholds at five locations, four on the tongue and one on the central soft palate, were significantly higher in the Bell's palsy than in the control group. These results are consistent with previous reports showing that patients with Bell's palsy and herpes zoster oticus experience taste disorders, which are triggered by paralysis of the facial nerve [713]. EGM testing showed greater differences in taste thresholds between the Bell's palsy and control groups than did chemical taste tests.…”

“…Many factors affecting taste acuity have been analyzed, including aging, foods, upper respiratory tract infections, olfactory sense, drinking alcohol, medications, trauma, head injury, chemical damage, accident, heavy metal poisoning, endocrine-metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, neurotransmitters, tumors, congenital abnormalities, and lifestyle patterns. To date, however, few studies have utilized electrogustometry (EGM) and chemical taste tests to assess the reduced sense of taste in Bell's palsy patients [67]. This study therefore compared taste thresholds in Bell's palsy patients and healthy subjects, as well as the effects on taste of age and the severity of facial paralysis.…”

Bilateral taste disorders in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome and Bell palsy

“…Previous studies including a morphologic examination of the gustatory organs are completely lacking. Only electrogustometric studies resulted from our literature search, and only included BP participants . In combination, they examined the same 3 innervation areas as we did (chorda tympani, glossopharyngeal, and greater petrosal nerve), and our results support their collective finding that BP affects the gustatory perception in all of those areas.…”

Facial nerver decompression

“…In view of these apparent shortcomings of electrical testing, particularly in detecting early denervation, various workers have come to depend on evaluation of Chorda tympani function as determined by electrogustometry (12,21,39,40,41) and submandibular gland secretion (34). Taverner (21) found a 95 per cent rate of complete recovery in patients with normal taste thresholds.…”