Preoperative Diagnosis of Intratemporal Facial Nerve Tumor: High-Resolution CT and Otoscopic Findings in 4 Cases

• Published in: Auris, nasus, larynx nasus, larynx, 1996, Vol.23 (1), p.75-82
• Main Authors: Ito, Hisako, Hoshino, Tomoyuki, Okawa, Yasuhiro, Asai, Yoshihiro, Nozue, Michihiko, Yokoyama, Tetsuo, Ryu, Hiroshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cranial Nerve Neoplasms - complications; Cranial Nerve Neoplasms - diagnosis; Cranial Nerve Neoplasms - surgery; Facial Nerve - pathology; Facial Nerve - surgery; Facial Paralysis - etiology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Neuroma - complications; Neuroma - diagnosis; Neuroma - surgery; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 0385-8146; 1879-1476
• DOI: 10.1016/S0385-8146(96)80012-5

Four cases of facial nerve tumor were treated in our clinic during the past 16 years, one of which was a recurrence 12 years after the resection. Another case presented with relapsing facial palsy of sudden onset. The others presented with slowly progressive facial palsy. In each of the four cases, the horizontal and vertical portions were included in the tumor extension, and a mass was revealed in the posterior tympanic cavity by use of otoscopy. High-resolution CT, performed in all but the earliest case, proved to be the most valuable diagnostic tool, indicating the anatomical correlation of the tumor with the facial cana1. With the diagnosis preoperatively established, facial reanimation procedure could be applied immediately after the tumor resection except in the recurrent case.