Silent mastoiditis and bilateral simultaneous facial palsy

Silent mastoiditis is a common complication of acute otitis media since the advent of antibiotics. Although most pediatric middle ear inflammations manifest themselves in both ears, otitic facial palsy almost always presents unilaterally. We report an unusual case of bilateral simultaneous facial palsy occurring during the course of a persistent otitis media in a 7-month-old child. Appropriate antibiotic therapy and insertion of ventilating tubes cleared the infectious inflammatory process, resulting in full recovery from nerve dysfunction.