[Surgery of the facial nerve: current trends]

Recent operative variations in the surgery of the facial nerve are discussed through data from the literature and the author's personal experience. The analysis relates to two different situations: on the one hand the approach and preservation of an intact facial nerve in pathologies requiring the baring or freeing of the nerve; on the other hand, the operative attitude with respect to facial palsies requiring a decompression or repair of the nerve. The techniques are studied according to the intracranial, intrapetrosal or extracranial topography of the lesion. Extralabyrinthine transmastoid decompression is increasingly adopted in cases of intrapetrosal palsy. The different types of derouting and suture are discussed in the case of the solution of continuity of the nerve trajectory.