Facial nerve preservation in geniculate ganglion hemangiomas

Conclusions: Facial nerve preservation was related to tumor size, and the patients with facial nerve preservation obtained better recovery. Hence it is necessary to perform surgical removal as soon as possible. Objective: To study facial nerve preservation in patients with geniculate ganglion (GG) hemangiomas. Methods: Twelve patients who had GG hemangiomas were managed at a single institute. All patients underwent total tumor removal, and the surgeon attempted to preserve the facial nerve. Tumor size was measured by MRI, and the patients were divided into two groups according to tumor size: larger size group (>= 10 mm) and smaller size group (<10 mm). Results: Generally, the facial nerve was successfully preserved in 10 of 12 cases (83.30%), and nerve grafting was required in 2 cases. Seven of 10 patients (70%) with nerve intact recovered to grade I or grade II, while the 2 cases with nerve grafting recovered to grade III or grade IV. Among the smaller size group, the facial nerves of all patients (100%) were intact. In contrast, only one of three patients (33.3%) in the larger size group maintained nerve integrity after surgery.