Facial Paralysis ; pathology ; Humans ; Tympanoplasty ; adverse effects

Pus overflow from patent's fistula belew the left face near mandibular angle 2 years agowith a little pain. Symptoms relieved after oral antibiotics. This symptom frequently occurred in the past six months. Postoperative facial paralysis occurred after surgery, and recovered after treatment. It was diagnosed as the postoperative facial paralysis after first branchial fistula surgery.
Branchial Region ; pathology ; surgery ; Face ; Facial Paralysis ; etiology ; Fistula ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Mandible ; Pain

PURPOSE: To evaluate the findings of normal facial nerve, as seen on oblique sagittal MRI using a TMJ (tem-poromandibular joint) surface coil, and then to evaluate abnormal findings of peripheral facial nerve palsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the MR findings of 20 patients with peripheral facial palsy and 50 normal facial nerves of 36 patients without facial palsy. All underwent oblique sagittal MRI using a TMJ surface coil. We analyzed the course, signal intensity, thickness, location, and degree of enhancement of the facial nerve. According to the angle made by the proximal parotid segment on the axis of the mastoid seg-ment, course was classified as anterior angulation (obtuse and acute, or buckling), straight and posterior angu-lation. RESULTS: Among 50 normal facial nerves, 24 (48%) were straight, and 23 (46%) demonstrated anterior angula-tion; 34 (68%) showed iso signal intensity on T1WI. In the group of patients, course on the affected side was either straight (40%) or showed anterior angulation (55%), and signal intensity in 80% of cases was isointense. These findings were similar to those in the normal group, but in patients with post-traumatic or post-operative facial palsy, buckling, of course, appeared. In 12 of 18 facial palsy cases (66.6%) in which contrast materials were administered, a normal facial nerve of the opposite facial canal showed mild enhancement on more than one segment, but on the affected side the facial nerve showed diffuse enhancement in all 14 patients with acute facial palsy. Eleven of these (79%) showed fair or marked enhancement on more than one segment, and in 12 (86%), mild enhancement of the proximal parotid segment was noted. Four of six chronic facial palsy cases (66.6%) showed atrophy of the facial nerve. CONCLUSION: When oblique sagittal MR images are obtained using a TMJ surface coil, enhancement of the proximal parotid segment of the facial nerve and fair or marked enhancement of at least one segment within the facial canal always suggests pathology of the facial nerve. The use of this modality, together with the coil, is, therefore, an effective complementary technique for the evaluation of a facial nerve.
Atrophy ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Contrast Media ; Facial Nerve* ; Facial Paralysis ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Mastoid ; Paralysis* ; Pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Temporomandibular Joint*

Professor Sun Liuhe is engaged in medical service for over 40 years. He is deeply involved in research on intractable and complicated diseases. Especially, in treating facial paralysis, he makes diagnosis and treatment based on overall analysis of symptoms and causes, differentiation of syndrome for etiology. Without confining himself to ancient treatment methods, by applying both acupuncture and Chinese medicine, selecting auxiliary acupoints according to differentiation of meridians related to illness, as well as considering anatomy. Professor Sun holds ancient and modern therapeutic methods, brings forth ideas of using new acupoints to prevent perversion based on pulse tracings, and uses cutting therapy for the cases suffering from facial paralysis for a long time. This method can shorten treatment courses, to a great extent, and achieve good therapeutic effects on intractable facial paralysis, which has revealed distinctness of acupuncture therapy.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Facial Paralysis ; pathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

Bone Diseases ; complications ; Child ; Facial Paralysis ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Temporal Bone ; pathology

Adenocarcinoma, Papillary ; complications ; Adult ; Ear Neoplasms ; complications ; Endolymphatic Sac ; pathology ; Facial Paralysis ; etiology ; Humans ; Male

OBJECTIVETo discuss prognostic factors in microsurgery of intratemporal facial nerve schwannoma.

METHODSClinical and follow-up materials from 13 cases of facial nerve schwannoma were analyzed retrospectively. Spearman rank-order correlation and nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test from SPSS 10.0 for Windows was used for the analysis.

RESULTSEach of 13 cases was operated on using modern microsurgery. Eleven cases among them received facial nerve reconstruction. One of the 13 cases lost follow-up. Others had no residue or recurrence. The House-Brackmann grades of the cases received facial nerve reconstruction were II through V. Spearman rank-order correlation showed the postoperative facial nerve function was correlated with the preoperative duration of facial nerve paralysis (r = 0.925, P = 0.000) and the preoperative facial nerve function(r = 0.712, P = 0.021). Mann-Whitney U test showed that the tumor position had no effect on the postoperative facial nerve function (P = 0.889).

CONCLUSIONSAmong most of the patients who received microsurgery of facial nerve schwannoma, facial nerve functions could be restored to great extent. The longer the preoperative duration of facial nerve paralysis or the worse the preoperative facial nerve function, the worse the postoperative facial nerve function in cases who received facial nerve resection and reconstruction. Facial nerve reconstruction was helpful for the patient with facial nerve schwannoma whose facial muscles were denervated but have fibrillation potentials, as well as for the patient whose facial nerve schwannoma intruded internal acoustic canal.

Adult ; Aged ; Facial Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Facial Nerve ; pathology ; Facial Paralysis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Microsurgery ; Middle Aged ; Neurilemmoma ; diagnosis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To heighten the awareness of the facial nerve tumors. METHOD: The clinical data of twenty-three patients complaining of facial paralysis who were diagnosed postoperatively as facial nerve tumors were analyzed. The hearing assessment of all patients was based on pure tone audiometry at the frequency of 0. 5, 1, 2, 4 kHz. Temporal bone high resolution CT scan and temporal bone MRI with gadolinium enhancement were conducted on all patients. Facial nerve function was assessed with the House-Brackmann (HB) grading system. Facial electroneurography (ENoG) was conducted on 20 patients to quantify the degree of nerve degeneration preoperatively. The pathological types of tumor were determined by postoperative pathological reports. RESULT: Nineteen out of 23 cases presented hearing loss (82.6%), 10 cases suffered from tinnitus (43.5%), otalgia (17.4%) affected 4 cases, 3 cases manifested otorrhea (13.0%), and 2 cases presented vertigo (8.7%). Geniculate ganglion was the most commonly involved site (20 cases, 87.0%), followed by tympanic segments (18 cases, 78.3%), pyramid segment (16 cases, 69.6%), mastoid segment (10 cases, 43.5%), labyrinthine segment (9 cases, 39.1%), internal auditory canal segment and parotid gland segment (5 cases, 21.7%, respectively). Twenty-one cases (91.3%) of schwannomas, 1 case (4.3%) of neurofibroma and 1 case (4.3%) of hemangiomas were identified with histopathology postoperatively. The tumors were all completely excised, and the facial nerve function could recovered to HB III at the best after facial nerve repairment. CONCLUSION Facial nerve tumor is a rare and often misdiagnosed disease which was commonly manifested as facial nerve paralysis. Temporal bone CT and MRI can help to clarify the diagnosis preoperatively. Pure tone audiometry and electroneurography also plays a some certain roles in the diagnosis of facial nerve tumors. The tumors should be completely resected and the surgical approaches were determined based on tumor size, facial nerve function and preoperative auditory function.
Cranial Nerve Neoplasms ; complications ; Facial Nerve ; pathology ; Facial Nerve Diseases ; complications ; Facial Paralysis ; etiology ; Hearing Loss ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Neurilemmoma ; Temporal Bone

Here we reported a Chinese case of bilateral peripheral facial paralysis (PFP) in human immunodeficiency virusc (HIV) infected population. A 38-year-old homosexual male patient was referred to our hospital for bilateral facial paralysis. 21 days prior to admission he had developed high fever, chills, headache, fatigue, general malaise, nausea and vomiting. Neurological examination revealed bilateral ptosis of lower lip and cheeks, as well as failure of bilateral eyes closure. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed pleocytosis, a marked rise of micro total protein and a marked rise of intrathecal lgG synthesis. The result of HIV-1 serology was positive by ELISA and that was confirmed by western blot. His CD4 cell count was 180 cells/mm . HIV-1 viral load in CSF was almost 10 times higher than that in plasma. The patient's condition improved steadily and experienced complete resolution of bilateral PFP after 2 months.
Adult ; Facial Paralysis ; blood ; pathology ; physiopathology ; HIV Infections ; blood ; pathology ; physiopathology ; HIV-1 ; Humans ; Male ; Meningitis ; blood ; pathology ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical utility of MR imaging of the temporal bone in patients with facial and audiovestibular dysfunction with particular emphasis on the importance of contrast enhancement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the MR images of 179 patients [72 men, 107 women; average age, 44 (range, 1-77) years] who presented with peripheral facial palsy (n=15), audiometrically proven sensorineural hearing loss (n=104), vertigo (n=109), or tinnitus (n=92). Positive MR imaging findings possibly responsible for the patients' clinical manifestations were categorized according to the anatomic sites and presumed etiologies of the lesions. We also assessed the utility of contrast-enhanced MR imaging by analyzing its contribution to the demonstration of lesions which would otherwise not have been apparent. All MR images were interpreted by two neuroradiologists, who reached their conclusions by consensus. RESULTS: MR images demonstrated positive findings, thought to account for the presenting symptoms, in 78 (44%) of 179 patients, including 15 (100%) of 15 with peripheral facial palsy, 43 (41%) of 104 with sensorineural hearing loss, 40 (37%) of 109 with vertigo, and 39 (42%) of 92 with tinnitus. Thirty (38%) of those 78 patients had lesions that could be confidently recognized only at contrastenhanced MR imaging. CONCLUSION: Even though its use led to positive findings in less than half of these patients, MR imaging of the temporal bone is a useful diagnostic procedure in the evaluation of those with facial and audiovestibular dysfunction. Because it was only at contrast-enhanced MR imaging that a significant number of patients showed positive imaging findings which explained their clinical manifestations, the use of contrast material is highly recommended.
Adult ; Contrast Media ; Facial Paralysis/*pathology ; Female ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/*pathology ; Human ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Temporal Bone/*pathology ; Tinnitus/*pathology ; Vertigo/*pathology