Facial nerve tumors and progressive facial palsy.

Abstract

Tumor of the facial nerve is seldom encountered, and very little mention of this entity is made in the neurological literature. Except for the case reported by Tremble and Penfield, 1 there has been no specific attempt to locate, by clinical examination, the site of the lesion along the course of the facial nerve. We have recently examined a patient with progressive facial palsy for whom a preoperative diagnosis of facial nerve tumor was made and later established at operation. It is felt that a discussion of the diagnostic procedures employed, as well as the problem of facial nerve tumors and progressive facial palsy in general, would be of interest. Report of a Case A 34-year-old man was seen on Oct. 7, 1958, with the complaint of progressive right facial paralysis of five years' duration. In 1953 he was struck by a fist on the right side of the face and