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Facial Nerve Schwannomas

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Book cover Samii's Essentials in Neurosurgery

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Abstract

Facial nerve schwannomas (FNSs) are uncommon; extremely slow growing, benign tumors that frequently present without facial dysfunction. Malignant FNSs are extremely rare. They can arise at the cerebellopontine angle (CPA), internal meatus, geniculate ganglion, peripheral nerves in the mastoid bone, or in muscle (Fig. 1). The tumor arises from Schwann cells in a focal manner as a solitary and well-encapsulated mass. The most common sites are the geniculate ganglion and internal auditory canal. This study reviews the surgical anatomy, clinical presentations, radiological diagnosis, appropriate planning for the management, surgical approaches, and the predictive outcomes of surgical management. Surgery is clearly indicated when the patient already presents with facial nerve palsy. If the facial function is normal and the tumor is not compressing the brainstem, conservative management is considered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurological Institute of Curitiba,, Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, R. Jeremias Maciel Perretto 300, 80210-310, Curitiba, Brazil

    Ricardo Ramina

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute of Curitiba, Curitiba, Brazil

    Mauricio Coelho Neto & Ronaldo Vosgerau

  3. Postgraduate Course in Surgery, Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil

    Erasmo Barros da Silva Junior

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil

    Andre Giacomelli Leal & Yvens Barbosa Fernandes

Authors
  1. Ricardo Ramina
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  2. Mauricio Coelho Neto
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  3. Erasmo Barros da Silva Junior
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  4. Ronaldo Vosgerau
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  5. Andre Giacomelli Leal
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  6. Yvens Barbosa Fernandes
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© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Ramina, R., Neto, M., Silva Junior, E., Vosgerau, R., Leal, A., Fernandes, Y. (2008). Facial Nerve Schwannomas. In: Samii's Essentials in Neurosurgery. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49250-4_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49250-4_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-49249-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49250-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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