Prognosis of seventh nerve palsy following removal of a large acoustic tumors.

ABSTRACT

Before the advent of microsurgery for acoustic tumors, it was accepted that the majority of seventh nerves would be lost during the removal of large tumors. It is now possible to preserve these attenuated seventh nerves, even with very large tumors. Postoperative facial palsy may be present even with an anatomically intact seventh nerve, but our experience has demonstrated that recovery will ultimately occur. Eight of our nin patients with this situation have regained facial function, although in some the first clinical evidence of recovery did not occur for 1 year.