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 neurotological referral center specializing in acoustic neuroma and skull base surgery. Study Design: Retrospective review of 100 consecutive patients in whom acoustic neuromas were removed using all of the standard surgical approaches. Methods: Functional facial nerve outcomes were independently assessed using the House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system. Results: The tumors were 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 tumors had facial nerve function grade I-II/VI after surgery. Conclusion: Facial nerve results from alternative nonsurgical treatments must be compared with facial nerve outcomes from experienced surgical centers. Based on the facial nerve outcomes from our 100 consecutive patients, microsurgical resection remains the preferred treatment modality for acoustic tumors.