Neurofibroma of the ear

Neurofibromas cause unsightly and crippling deformities. These locally destructive tumors arise along the distribution of peripheral and cranial nerves. The 2 patients presented here had neurofibromas of the external ear. In one patient, the lesion was limited to the auricle. In the other, the tumor extended into the facial nerve and parotid gland. Preoperative computed tomographic scanning, a postauricular approach to the tumor, and careful dissection produced an aesthetic debulking of the auricular neurofibromas with preservation of facial nerve function and improvement in hearing.