Management of intratemporal vascular tumors.

Abstract

Vascular tumors (vascular malformations and hemangiomas) of the temporal bone are uncommon, and guidelines for their management have not been published. In an effort to develop an approach to their management, the present study examined the pathological, clinical, and surgical experience with ten of these lesions treated at the Otologic Medical Group, Inc., and St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles from 1960 to 1980. Intratemporal vascular tumors occurred most frequently at two sites, the internal auditory canal and the geniculate ganglion. Histological features and clinical behavior did not correlate. Both vascular malformations and hemangiomata invaded the facial nerve. Surgical excision in these cases required severence and repair of the involved facial nerve. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice of vascular lesions of the temporal bone.

Surgical outcomes of facial nerve hemangiomas in temporal bones

“…Facial nerve hemangiomas (FNHs) were firstly described by Politzer in 1901, which accounted for 0.7% among intratemporal tumors [1]. FNHs may involve any segment along facial nerve in temporal bones, but internal auditory canal (IAC) and geniculate ganglion (GG) were the predilection sites [2,3].…”

“…It was believed that the lesions arose from vascular plexuses around the facial nerve or Scarpa's ganglion, which was a ganglion of the auditory nerve, and compressed the facial nerve or auditory nerve from outside [4,5]. FNHs at IAC and GG were actually vascular malformations other than real tumors [1,6,7], but the traditional nomenclature had referred to the lesions as "hemangiomas" for over one century. Thus, we still called the lesions as hemangiomas in the paper.…”

Facial nerve hemangioma of the geniculate ganglion: An endoscopic surgical approach

“…Facial nerve hemangioma is a rare tumor (0.7% of all intratemporal tumors) [1]. Politzer first described vascular tumors of the temporal bone in 1901.…”

Atypical tumors of the facial nerve: case series and review of the literature

“…4,35 For this reason, facial nerve schwannomas of similar size may lead to less se vere cranial nerve dysfunction. 26 The relationship between facial nerve hemangioma and cavernous malformations isolated to the seventh cra nial nerve is controversial. Deshmukh et al 8 described 2 patients who presented with acute hearing loss and fa cial nerve paresis; MRI revealed hyperintense lesions, without contrast enhancement, which were found to have small cavernous malformations.…”