Acute facial-nerve paralysis with parotid adenolymphoma

An 82-year-old woman presented with acute facial paralysis in association with parotid swelling following fine-needle aspiration cytology of a parotid adenolymphoma, Evacuation of a tense haematoma decompressed the nerve and led to complete recovery within 6 months. Additionally, the tumour is no longer evident, either clinically or radiologically, and fine-needle aspiration cytology appears to have been both diagnostic and, inadvertently, therapeutic in this case. (C) 2001 The British Association of Plastic Surgeons.