facial nerve neuritis

Imaging in

Lyme neuroborreliosis. Facial neuritis in LNB with typical disease course in a 55-year-old female. She suffered from back pain radiating to chest, arms, head and neck, especially intense at night time, and after 2 weeks she also developed bilateral facial palsy. CSF analysis showed 594 cells/mm3 (normal range 0-5/mm3) and production of Bb specific IgG and IgM antibodies. Axial post-contrast fat suppressed T1-weighted image (a) showed intense enhancement in the distal intracanalicular, labyrinthine and geniculate ganglion segments of both facial nerves (arrows point to these structures which are mentioned from medial to lateral). 3 mm sagittal reformat (b) on the right side demonstrated the enhancement involving the tympanic and mastoid segment, as well as the parotid segment with the temporofacial and cervicofacial branches at the pes anserinus included (arrows point to these structures which are mentioned from cranial to caudal). Axial post-contrast fat suppressed T1-weighted image showed no abnormal enhancement of facial nerves 6 months after the treatment (c)

MR imaging of

facial nerve in a case of Bell"s palsy. Diffuse thickening and enhancement of canalicular segment of the left facial nerve with normal morphology on the right side.

MR imaging of

facial nerve in a case of Bell"s palsy. Focal enhancement and prominence of the meatal segment of the facial nerve seen on the left side compared to the right.