A case of facial diplegia associated with herpes simplex reactivation

Facial nerve palsy is the commonest cranial neuropathy affecting 40/100 000 people in the Western World but is idiopathic in 50–70% of cases. This report describes a case of recurrent facial nerve palsy in association with herpes simplex virus (HSV) reactivation. HSV may be a major cause of racial nerve palsy. Further research is required to clarify this issue in order that targeted treatment strategies can be developed for this common problem.