A review of facial nerve outcome in 100 consecutive cases of acoustic tumor surgery

Objective: To deter-mine the facial nerve outcomes at a tertiary neurotolog ical referral center specializing in acoustic neuroma and skull base surger y. Study Design: Retrospective review of 100 consecutive patients in whom a coustic neuromas were removed using all of the standard surgical approaches . Methods: Functional facial nerve outcomes were independently assessed usi ng the House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system. Results: The tumors wer e categorized as small, medium, large, and giant. If one excludes the three patients with preoperative facial palsies, 100% of the small tumors, 98.6% of the medium tumors, 100% of the large tumors, and 71% of the giant tumor s had facial nerve function grade I-II/VI after surgery. Conclusion: Facial nerve results from alternative nonsurgical treatments must be compared wit h facial nerve outcomes from experienced surgical centers. Based on the fac ial nerve outcomes from our 100 consecutive patients, microsurgical resecti on remains the preferred treatment modality for acoustic tumors.