***TASK***
the task is to simplify the input abstract of a biomedical literature

***INPUT***
the input is the abstract of a biomedical literature

***OUTPUT***
the output is the simplified abstract for the input abstract of a biomedical literature

***DOCUMENTATION***

***EXAMPLES***

Input: Two trials with a total of 69 participants met the inclusion criteria. The first study considered the treatment of 403 people but only included 44 participants in the surgical trial, who were randomised into surgical and non-surgical groups. However, the report did not provide information on the method of randomisation. The second study randomly allocated 25 participants into surgical or control groups using statistical charts. There was no attempt in either study to conceal allocation. Neither participants nor outcome assessors were blind to the interventions, in either study. The first study lost seven participants to follow-up and there were no losses to follow-up in the second study. Surgeons in both studies decompressed the nerves of all the surgical group participants using a retroauricular approach. The primary outcome was recovery of facial palsy at 12 months. The first study showed that the operated group and the non-operated group (who received oral prednisolone) had comparable facial nerve recovery at nine months. This study did not statistically compare the groups but the scores and size of the groups suggested that statistically significant differences are unlikely. The second study reported no statistically significant differences between the operated and control (no treatment) groups. One operated participant in the first study had 20 dB sensorineural hearing loss and persistent vertigo. We identified no new studies when we updated the searches in October 2012. There is only very low quality evidence from randomised controlled trials and this is insufficient to decide whether surgical intervention is beneficial or harmful in the management of Bell's palsy. Further research into the role of surgical intervention is unlikely to be performed because spontaneous recovery occurs in most cases.
Output:

After a wide search for randomised controlled trials, we found two studies to include in our review, which together involved 69 people with Bell's palsy. Our main measure of the effects of surgery was to be the recovery of paralysis at 12 months. The first study compared surgery with a steroid medicine and the second study compared surgery with no treatment. In the first study the surgery and no surgery groups appeared to have similar facial nerve recovery at nine months. The second study found no differences in recovery of the facial paralysis after one year, between the participants who had an operation and those who had no treatment. One participant who had surgery in the first study had mild hearing loss and vertigo (dizziness) afterwards. Both studies had limitations that could have affected the results. This review was first published in 2011. We updated the searches in October 2012 and found no new relevant studies. The review found that there was only very low quality evidence and that this was insufficient to decide whether an operation would be helpful or harmful for people with Bell's palsy. There is unlikely to be further research into the role of an operation because Bell's palsy usually recovers without treatment.