HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Facial nerve neuromas: report of 10 cases and review of the literature.

AbstractOBJECTIVE:
This study reviewed the management and outcomes of facial neuromas during the past decade at our institution. The goal was to analyze differences in presentation on the basis of location of the facial neuroma, review facial nerve function and hearing preservation postoperatively, and understand the characteristics of patients with tumors limited to the cerebellopontine angle or internal auditory canal. We also report an unusual case of a facial neuroma limited to the nervus intermedius.
METHODS:
Nine patients with facial neuromas and one with Jacobson's nerve neuroma underwent surgery, and total resection was accomplished in nine patients. A chart review for pre- and postoperative data was performed, after which all patients were evaluated on an outpatient basis.
RESULTS:
The mean age of the patients was 47 years; mean follow-up time was 33.1 months. The most common presenting symptoms were hearing loss (six patients) and facial paresis (five patients). A total of five patients had progressive (four patients) or recurrent (one patient) facial paresis. No patient experienced worsened hearing as a result of surgery, and one experienced improvement in a conductive hearing deficit. Five patients required cable graft repair of the facial nerve; four improved to House-Brackmann Grade 3 facial paresis. Four of five patients with preserved anatomic continuity of the facial nerve regained normal facial function. There were no surgical complications. No tumors have recurred during follow-up. We report the second nerve sheath tumor limited to the nervus intermedius.
CONCLUSION:
This series documents that facial neuromas can be resected safely with preservation of facial nerve and hearing function. Preservation of anatomic continuity of the facial nerve should be attempted, and it does not seem to lead to frequent recurrence. Tumors limited to the cerebellopontine angle/internal auditory canal are a unique subset of facial neuromas with characteristics that vary greatly from facial neuromas in other locations, and they are indistinguishable clinically from acoustic neuromas.
AuthorsJonathan D Sherman, Elias Dagnew, Myles L Pensak, Harry R van Loveren, John M Tew Jr
JournalNeurosurgery (Neurosurgery) Vol. 50 Issue 3 Pg. 450-6 (Mar 2002) ISSN: 0148-396X [Print] United States
PMID11841711 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Review)
Topics
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cranial Nerve Neoplasms (complications, surgery)
  • Facial Nerve Diseases (complications, surgery)
  • Facial Paralysis (etiology)
  • Female
  • Hearing Disorders (etiology)
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuroma (surgery)
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Vomeronasal Organ (innervation)

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: