Health & body · 1998
When surgeons leave some behind to preserve the facial nerve, does it always grow back?
No. Among eight patients investigated after tumour was left over the anatomically preserved facial nerve, one had regrowth 3.5 years after surgery; the other seven had no regrowth during 4.5–8.5 years of follow-up.
Details
Ideally, acoustic neurinomas should be completely removed without neurological deficit. In some cases, however, surgeons perform subtotal removal to preserve the anatomical continuity of the facial nerve. This report examined regrowth of residual tumour in these patients and differences between tumours that regrew and those that remained dormant.
In this observational follow-up report, eight of 81 patients with acoustic neurinomas were investigated and followed up after the facial nerve was anatomically preserved with tumour left overlying it.
Only one case showed regrowth, 3.5 years after the operation. In that case, residual tumour extended along the seventh (facial) nerve from the portion within the internal auditory meatus to the nerve’s entry into the brainstem. In the other seven cases, residual tumour extended along the nerve from the porus (the opening of the internal auditory meatus) to the brainstem, and remained dormant during 4.5–8.5 years of follow-up.
The authors concluded that removal of tumour in the internal auditory meatus may make regrowth unlikely.
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