title: Facial nerve hemangiomas at geniculate ganglion: preservation of nerve integrity is correlated with duration of facial palsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study preservation of nerve integrity in 16 cases with facial nerve hemangiomas at geniculate ganglion (GG).
  
  
  METHODS
  16 cases with facial nerve hemangiomas at GG, who presented with facial palsy, were included in the study. Preservation of nerve integrity was attempted by the same surgeon during surgical removal, and those who failed to preserve nerve integrity underwent nerve grafting. The patients were divided into longer duration group (>12months) and shorter duration group (≤12months) according to duration of facial palsy, and preservation of nerve integrity in the couple of groups was compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nerve integrity was preserved in 2 of 10 cases (20%) among longer duration group, while it was preserved in 5 of 6 cases (83.3%) among shorter duration group (p<0.05). All the cases with nerve integrity preserved recovered to grade III or better, among which 3 cases recovered to grade I or grade II, while only 3 of 9 cases (33.3%) with nerve grafting recovered to grade III at the best.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preservation of nerve integrity was correlated with duration of facial palsy in cases with hemangiomas at GG. Patients with nerve integrity preserved showed better outcomes of facial nerve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, P.R.C.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, P.R.C. Electronic address: chouhy2014@163.com.
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R.C.
authors.forename: Yefeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003390:Cranial Nerve Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000469:parasitology / Q000601:surgery*; D005154:Facial Nerve; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005830:Geniculate Ganglion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D059351:Organ Sparing Treatments / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult