The crucial role of imaging in detection of facial nerve haemangiomas

Facial nerve haemangioma is a rare benign neoplasm accounting for 0.7 per c ent of all tumours involving the temporal bone. The diagnosis of a facial n erve tumour is often missed or delayed. Early diagnosis is imperative as it influences the eventual outcome for facial nerve function. Prognosis is re lated to the size of the tumour, the severity and the duration of pre-opera tive paralysis. The definitive diagnosis of a facial nerve tumour rests exc lusively with high resolution imaging of the temporal bone using enhanced m agnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and thin-sectioned computed tomography (CT) . This case emphasizes the crucial role that high quality imaging can play in the diagnosis of facial nerve tumours, and elegantly illustrates the ima ging features of facial nerve haemangiomas.