It is presented a clinical case of a patient with a peripheral facial paralysis with hemifacial compromise. During the clinical investigation it was expected that the topographic compromise of the facial nerve would arise out of the emergence of the nerve from the pons. After some image examinations, an expansive brain trunk lesion was evidenced. Thus, the classification of facial paralysis - either peripheral or central - is not applicable to this case. The use of a classification having the facial nerve nucleus as reference could be more adequate in the clinical investigation of the paralysis.
facial nerve; paralysis; brainstem; cranial, nerve; classification
