Vol.100 No.5 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 100 No. 5 May 2007
A Case of Facial Nerve Paralysis Caused by
Cavernous Hemangioma of the Facial Nerve
Kazuhiro Nakamura, Tomoyuki Yoshida and Akira Shimizu
(Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center)
Atsushi Kawano and Mamoru Suzuki
(Tokyo Medical University)
We encountered a rare case of facial nerve paralysis caused by cavernous hemangioma of the facial nerve.
The patient was a 47 year-old man with a chief complaint of food leaking from the left angle of the mouth starting in January 2001. He was diagnosed as having Bell's paralysis, and he was treated with stellate ganglion block (SGB). However, paralysis did not improve. Furthermore, MRI demonstrated a tumor in the left temporal bone. He was referred to our department on April 17, 2001.
The facial score was 0/40 points by the Yanagihara method. There was no sign of cranial nerves other than the left facial nerve. CT showed a soft tissue shadow in the attic.
Facial nerve schwannoma was suspected, and tympanoplasty was performed on October 16, 2001. The tumor bled easily. A solid tumor about 6 mm in diameter was removed en bloc. Pathological diagnosis was a cavernous hemangioma of facial nerve origin.
When we diagnose facial palsy, paralysis due to a tumor should be listed in the differential diagnosis. Imaging is essential for the diagnosis.
Key words : facial nerve paralysis, facial nerve hemangioma, tympanoplasty