%0 Journal Article
%T Branch facial nerve trauma after superficial temporal artery biopsy: a case report
%A Richard A Rison
%J Journal of Medical Case Reports
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1752-1947-5-34
%X A 73-year-old Caucasian woman presented for neurological evaluation regarding eyebrow and facial asymmetry after a superficial temporal artery biopsy for presumptive giant cell arteritis-induced cephalalgia.Damage to branches of the facial nerve may occur after superficial temporal artery biopsy, resulting in eyebrow droop. Although an uncommon and sparsely reported complication, all clinicians of various specialties involved in the care of these patients should be aware of this given the gravity of giant cell arteritis and the widespread use of temporal artery biopsy.Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a neurologic emergency requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment. For years, the gold standard diagnostic test has been superficial temporal artery biopsy (STAB). This procedure is generally well tolerated with infrequent complications. Facial nerve injury is a known but uncommon complication, with few reported cases.A 73-year-old Caucasian woman with a one-year history of headaches and left temporal tenderness developed an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. She was started on prednisone and a few days later underwent a left-sided STAB as an outpatient. In the recovery room, she noted difficulty closing her left eye secondary to weakness. She also noted numbness along the left portion of her face. There were no complaints of blurry or double vision, difficulty swallowing or slurred speech. She did not complain of any weakness in her arms or legs. She did not have vertigo, tinnitus, diminished hearing or lapses of consciousness. She was told at the time that she may have had an adverse effect from the local anesthetic and was discharged home with eye drops.The patient's medical history was remarkable for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, a past transient ischemic attack, fibromyalgia and gout. She was taking levothyroxine, simvastatin, duloxetine, lisinopril, hydrochlorothiazide, clopidogrel and prednisone.The patient presented for neurologic evaluation six weeks aft
%U http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/34