Electroacupuncture in the treatment of facial nerve paralysis in horse: two cases report

Abstract

The facial nerve paralysis is relatively common in the clinical routine of the horses, presenting etiopathogeny diverse, however the biggest incidence says respect to the traumas on the region of masseter muscle, where the protection of facial nerve is scarce, only by subcutaneous fabric and skin. Thus traumatic and compressive accidents on the region can unchain the motor and sensitive deficit of the nerve. The disease is an important complication related to general anesthesia in horses. The main clinical signs are: ipsolateral fall of the ear, ptose of the superior eyelid and lip, resulting visually the shunting line of the nostrils for the side not affected. The treatments range from vitamin complexes to the electric stimulations. the present article reports the electroacupuncture as option of treatment in two cases of unilateral facial nerve paralysis, with satisfactory results after ten weekly sessions. The used acupoints had been local, pertaining to the stomach meridian (st), beyond bleeding of point SAN JIANG. Keywords: Equine, facial nerve paralysis, electroacupuncture.