ABSTRACT
Two studies were conducted consecutively on two series of post-operative acoustic neurinoma patients. The first one included 104 patients over a period spanning from January 1982 through April 1986; the second one bore on 75 cases enrolled between October 1985 and April 1988. Post-operative complications, sequelae, and findings were analyzed. As far as facial function was concerned, this was assessed on the basis of a classification worked out by J.W. House and D.E. Brackmann. For the first series (93 patients tested, 86 followed up and 7 who completed and returned a form arranged from Brackmann's questionnaire), the following results were obtained: 94% with anatomically intact nerves, including 50.0% grade I; 8.6% grade II; 10.7% grade III; 12.8% grade IV; 4.3% grade V, and 2.2% grade VI cases. 10 nerve sections pertaining to grade III and grade IV surgical repair cases including 10 hypoglossofacial anatomoses were reported. In the second series, 75 patients were followed up for at least 2 years. The facial nerve condition was recorded at the end of the operation, corresponding to the beginning of the nerve recuperation period. A very tight relationship was noted between the nerve condition and the end result as reflected by facial function; such correlation was also found to exist between facial function and tumor size. Likewise, end-point facial function was strictly dependent upon the incipient recuperation phase, whenever palsy had been complete or partial post-operatively. That is to say, if recovery started out after the third month following surgery, the affected hemiface would never retrieve its normal or subnormal function (grade I and II as per J.W. House and D.E. Brackmann). In this series, facial function was restored in 45%, 15%, 21%, 11%, 1%, and 0 cases corresponding to grade I, II, III, IV, V and VI, respectively. Five grade III and IV nerve sections were repaired via five hypoglossofacial anastomosis operations. We propose a slight modification be brought to the House-Brackmann classification. The aim of this study was to accurately assess the complications and sequelae secondary to surgical ablation of unilateral acoustic neurinoma by an otoneurosurgical team utilizing almost exclusively the broadened translabyrinthic (B.TL) and medial cerebral fossa or supra-petrous (SP) approaches Despite achievements realized since W.F. House [23] described those, the main problem encountered has been-excluding major complications which are fortunately rare, remains the preservation of normal or subnormal facial function.
