Radiological anatomy of the intratemporal course of facial nerve

Preoperative evaluation of the facial nerve (FN) anatomy within the tempora l bone by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) helps in minimizing su rgical trauma to the nerve. In order to demonstrate the radiological correl ation of the intratemporal FN, eight adult, formalin-preserved cadavers wer e studied by comparing the transaxial and coronal sections of HRCT with ana tomic microdissection findings. It was possible to visualize all segments o f the FN canal in its intratemporal: course, The most difficult part of the FN to demonstrate was the pyramidal section. Anatomic microdissection find ings were consistent with:the HRCT images. It was concluded that adequate i nformation on the FN anatomy could be obtained-from Standard HRCT scan's. ( C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.