title: [Study of postoperative facial nerve function influenced by sterical position between facial nerve and vestibular schwannoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the postoperative facial nerve function influenced by sterical position between facial nerve (FN) and vestibular schwannoma (VS).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review was performed of 101 patients with unilateral VS, who underwent tumor total removal via enlarged translabyrinthine approach between 2003 and 2006. Data concerning tumor stage based on tumor size, intra-operative sterical position between FN and VS which was classed on 4 types (type I: FN anterior to VS; type 2: anterior and superior to VS; type 3: superior to VS and type 4: posterior to VS), postoperative facial nerve function according to the House and Brackmann classification at days 7, 30, 90 and 180.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The facial nerve was preserved anatomically in 98%. The intra-operative sterical position between FN and VS was found in 43% for type 1, 33% for type 2 and 24% for type 3, but none for type 4. Good facial function at days 180 was present in 73% and decreased along with the augmentation of tumor size. Statistically, there had a significant correlation between the sterical position and postoperative FN function. Good facial function in type 1 was better than that of type 3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of anatomic preservation of FN does not parallel that of good postoperative facial function. The prognostic factor of latter includes not only tumor size, but also sterical position between FN and VS.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
authors: Zhihua
authors: Z
authors: Zhang
authors: Hao
authors: H
authors: Wu
authors: Qi
authors: Q
authors: Huang
authors: Huan
authors: H
authors: Jia
authors: Zhaoyan
authors: Z
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009442:Neurilemmoma; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000601:surgery*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult