Facial nerve palsy with a parotid mass is usually associated with malignant neoplasm of parotid gland. Its occurrence as a complication of parotid abscess is extremely rare. A literature review revealed only 16 cases of facial nerve palsy associated with suppurative parotitis or parotid abscess were reported. We present a case of deep parotid abscess which is complicated by facial nerve dysfunction. Underlying neoplasia was excluded.
A 6-year review of complications of mastoid surgery between June 1995 and June 2001 revealed five cases with serious iatrogenic complications from mastoid surgery, of which four were facial nerve palsy and two were labyrinthine fistula. One of these patients had concomitant facial nerve palsy and labyrinthine fistula. There were two cases of complete facial nerve palsy (House Brackmann grade VI) and two cases of incomplete palsy (House Brackmann grades IV and V). The second genu was the site of injury in three of the four cases. Of the four cases with facial nerve palsy, two patients had full recovery (House Brackmann grade I), one recovered only to House Brackmann grade III, and one was lost to follow-up. Both patients with labyrinthine fistula had postoperative vertigo and profound sensorineural hearing loss. The site of iatrogenic fenestration was the lateral semicircular canal in both cases.
A case of an adenoid cystic carcinoma of the minor salivary glands of then nasal cavity is reported. The tumour had spread locally and by perineural spread to the internal auditory mentus, causing facial nerve palsy.
A four years review from June 1998 to June 2002 of traumatic facial nerve paralysis from temporal bone fractures that required surgical intervention is presented. The aim of this clinical presentation was to determine the current pattern of cases with traumatic facial paralysis which required surgical intervention at our center. There were six cases, of which four (66%) were longitudinal fractures, one each (17%) had transverse fracture and fracture over the lateral wall of mastoid. Hearing loss (83%) was the commonest associated clinical symptom. All cases underwent decompression via the transmastoid surgical approach. Intraoperative findings revealed oedema of facial nerve involving vertical segment and horizontal segment in three cases each respectively. Two cases had concomitant bony impingement. The facial nerve functions in four cases (66%) and one case recovered to House Brackmann grade 2 and 4, 12 months and 3 months respectively postsurgery. The case with transverse fracture remained as House Brackmann grade 5 after two years.