Potentialities of temporal bone computed tomography in the study of the facial nerve and in the diagnosis of peripheral pareses of thr 7th pair of cranial nerves

Computed tomography (CT) was used to examine 200 patients (400 temporal bones) aged 3 to 74 years who had no signs of facial nerve lesion and 28 patients who had clinical manifestations of peripheral paresis of the facial nerve of varying genesis. Multipositional CT of the temporal bone is the most informative mode of visualization of the fallopian canal which is embodied on tomographic scans in 100% of cases irrespective of the age of a patient. CT data indicate that the formation of the facial nerve canal brings to completion by the age of 6 years. The following causes of n. facialis paresis were identified: facial neuroma; sarcoma of the temporal bone sarcoma; dehiscence of the canal wall in otitis media acuta; destruction of the tympanic wall of the canal in otitis nedia chronica, fractures of the temporal bone, anomalies of the fallopian canal in temporal bone malformations; stenosis of the canal in fibrous dysplasia. The detected alterations of the n. facialis canal permits further policy of management of a patient to be defined.