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Case report
Primary facial nerve paraganglioma: report and review of the literature
  1. Jonathan Austin Berry1,
  2. Cherie Ann O Nathan1,
  3. Ashley B Flowers2 and
  4. Gauri Mankekar1
  1. 1Department of Otolaryngology/HNS, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
  2. 2Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Gauri Mankekar; gmanke{at}lsuhsc.edu

Abstract

This report describes the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with a rare primary facial nerve paraganglioma as well as a review of the current literature. A 60-year-old male patient presented to our clinic with a 4-month history of left-sided progressive facial paralysis House-Brackmann V. Biopsy taken during facial nerve (FN) decompression confirmed the diagnosis of paraganglioma. The left FN was sacrificed during resection of the mass and a 12-7 jump graft, using the left greater auricular nerve, was performed with acceptable outcomes. The rarity of these tumours does not discount their clinical importance or the necessity to include them in the differential when presented with unilateral FN paralysis. Investigation should begin with CT and MRI imaging to identify and localise the potential mass. Histologic confirmation requires tissue. While surveillance imaging is occasionally an option, often complete surgical resection of the mass and sacrifice of the nerve is necessary.

  • otolaryngology / ENT
  • plastic and reconstructive surgery
  • endocrinology
  • interventional radiology
  • cranial nerves

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2020-237537

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors JAB collected the patient data and research data for the manuscript. He wrote, edited and submitted the manuscript for review. He also contacted and gained consent from the patient to submit the manuscript and the information contained within. CAON assisted in the proofreading and editing of the manuscript and provided an expert opinion on the data. She also provided general administrative assistance during the writing of this manuscript. ABF assisted in obtaining and describing the histological images of the patients’ pathology. She also provided her expert opinion on various diagnostic techniques used in this manuscript. GM assisted in collecting patients data from the electronic health record, assisted in proofreading and editing the manuscript, and, as a board certified neurotologist, provided expert knowledge of the topic of paraganglioma.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.