A Rare Cause of Facial Nerve Paralysis: Hemangioma Located in the Tympanic Portion of the Facial Nerve

Abstract

Facial nerve hemangiomas are rare tumors and benign lesions. These tumors may involve all segments of the facial nerve. The most common location of these tumors are geniculate fossa of the facial nerve. The tympanic portion of the facial nerve is rarely involved. To our knowledge, two cases are reported in the literature. These tumors may cause symptoms due to the compression of adjacent structures, such as facial nerve paralysis and hearing loss. Computed tomography imaging and magnetic resonance imaging are useful tools for diagnosis and viewing the extent of the tumor. Surgical excision is the primary treatment for these tumors. In this study, we report the third case of facial nerve hemangioma located in the tympanic portion of the facial nerve in the literature. The tumor was located in the tympanic segment and presented with total facial nerve paralysis.

Keywords

• Facial nerve
• hemangioma
• tumor

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