Facial nerve neurilemmoma: report of four cases

Four cases of facial nerve neurilemmoma are reported. Hearing loss was the initial symptom in all four of these patients, and among them, one had facial palsy before the operation. Physically, a bulging mass underneath the skin in the posteroinferior part of the ear canal was found in all of these patients. Excision of the tumor with nerve graft or hypoglossal-facial crossover was done in three of the patients. Postoperatively, they had fair facial nerve function with no tumor recurrence. The other case had excision only, and the tumor recurred after the operation.