The Facial Nerve [antikvár]

Preface This book represents an effort to provide a comprehensive clinical source for those who are interested in managing patients with a facial nerve disorder. The material presented is based on my personal experience managing 1500 patients over a period of 20 years. This experience is complemented by contributions from an international faculty of surgeons who have demonstrated expertise in special aspects of facial nerve disorders. The emphasis of the book is on management in terms of diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. This book begins with applied basic science and progresses to clinical evaluation, stressing pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, special tests, natural history and treatment of specific disorders. The most controversial area in any discussion of facial nerve disorders involves treatment, since review of the literature would indicate support for a number of approaches, when in fact there seems to be no general concensus to support any one of the treatments for most of the disorders reported. The most glaring example is the treatment for Bell's palsy, for which there are strong proponents for both steroid therapy and surgical management. Whenever treatment is discussed for any of the variety of disorders, each of the most popular approaches is presented in terms of indications, contraindications, results and complications. I have made concerted effort to put things in their proper perspective. Although it will be tempting on the part of the clinician to look up subjects pertaining to a specific clinical situation, I recommend a careful study of the section on applied basic science as a prerequisite to understanding all that follows. Of all the material presented, the section on applied science will most likely change the least. Evaluation of facial nerve function is presented in a definitive way, and reviewing this material will be quite helpful in planning management of the variety of facial nerve disorders encountered. The material that follows the first two sections, which presents an overview, lead into the specific disorders and their special considerations. Many highlights make this book unique. In the section on applied basic science, great emphasis is placed on the effect of denervation on the human muscle, an area that has been neglected in the past. It is, however, of importance, since efforts to rehabilitate and reanimate the paralyzed face are very dependent on the fate of the muscle. An entire chapter is dedicated to the otopathology of facial nerve disorders, which previously could only be found in scattered reports and has never been presented in a comprehensive fashion. The illustrations presented will give the clinician, as never before, insights into the pathophysiology of facial nerve disorders affecting the nerve within the