A New Surgical Option For Patients with Unresolved Bell's Palsy.

Purpose: This paper describes a new surgical procedure with electrical stimulation of the facial nerve for unresolved Bell's palsy and compares the facial nerve recovery with another group who underwent traditional middle cranial fossa decompression.

Recent Findings: All patients with total unilateral facial paralysis had surgery by the senior author 3 months from onset of Bell's Palsy. Surgical decompression was performed in 13 patients between 1992-2012 (Group 1).

Hearing preservation outcomes using direct cranial nerve eight and auditory brainstem response neuromonitoring in the resection of vestibular schwannomas.

Objective: Advancements in microsurgical technique and technology continue to improve outcomes in patients with skull base tumor. The primary cranial nerve eight monitoring systems used in hearing preservation surgery for vestibular schwannomas (VSs) are direct cranial nerve eight monitoring (DCNEM) and auditory brainstem response (ABR), although current guidelines are unable to definitively recommend one over the other due to limited literature on the topic. Thus, further research is needed to determine the utility of DCNEM and ABR.

Long-term quality of life outcomes in patients undergoing microsurgical resection of vestibular schwannoma.

Background: While previous studies have assessed patient reported quality of life (QOL) of various vestibular schwannoma (VS) treatment modalities, few studies have assessed QOL as related to the amount of residual tumor and need for retreatment in a large series of patients. Objective: To assess patient reported QOL outcomes following VS resection with a focus on extent of resection and retreatment.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed using single-center institutional data of adult patients who underwent VS resection by the senior authors between 1989-2018 at Loyola University Medical Center.

Internal Auditory Canal Glioneural Hamartoma: A Rare Mass Masquerading as a Vestibular Schwannoma.

Glioneural hamartomas are exceedingly rare lesions. When localized to the internal auditory canal (IAC), they can cause symptoms referrable to seventh and eighth cranial nerve compression. Here, the authors present a rare case of an IAC glioneural hamartoma.