Intratemporal hemangiomas involving the facial nerve: diagnosis and management.
Intratemporal vascular tumors involving the facial nerve are rare benign lesions. Because of their variable clinical features, they are often misdiagnosed preoperatively. This study presents a series of 21 patients with such lesions managed from 1977 to 1994. Facial nerve dysfunction was the most common complaint, present in 60% of the cases, followed by hearing loss, present in 40% of cases. High-resolution computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium, and a high index of clinical suspicion is required for preoperative diagnosis of these lesions. Early surgical resection of these tumors permits acceptable return of facial nerve function in many patients.
Bhatia
S
S
Karmarkar
S
S
Calabrese
V
V
Landolfi
M
M
Taibah
A
A
Russo
A
A
Mazzoni
A
A
Sanna
M
M