Value of Intraoperative Monitoring of the Trigeminal Nerve in Detection of a Superiorly Displaced Facial Nerve During Surgery for Large Vestibular Schwannomas

Abstract ObjectiveTo investigate the role of trigeminal and facial nerve monitoring in the early identification of a superiorly displaced facial nerve.Patients and MethodsThis prospective study included 24 patients operated for removal of large vestibular schwannomas (VS). Electromyographic (EMG) events recorded after mapping the superior surface of the tumor were evaluated by analyzing the latencies of the responses from the masseter and facial nerve innervated muscles.ResultsThe latency of the recorded compound muscle action potential (CMAP) from the masseter muscle was 3.6 ±0.5 msec, and of the simultaneously recorded volume conducted responses from the frontalis, o.oculi, nasalis, o.oris and mentalis muscles were 4.6 ±0.9, 4.1 ±0.7, 3.9 ±0.4, 4.3 ±0.8 and 4.5 ±0.6 msec respectively after trigeminal nerve stimulation in 24 (100%) patients. In 6 (25%) patients, the mean latency of CMAP on the masseter was 3.6 ±0.5 msec, and the latencies of the CMAP from the frontalis, nasalis, o.oris and mentalis muscles were longer than those of the volume conduced responses (p=0.002; p=0.001; p< 0.001; and p=0.015 respectively) indicating stimulation of both nerves (trigemino-facial EMG response). All patients with this response were later confirmed anatomically to have an AS displaced facial nerve. ConclusionUnderstanding the trigemino-facial EMG response is of value in identifying an AS displaced facial nerve; in preventing electrophysiological confusion between the trigeminal and the facial nerves; and in detecting the presence of volume conducted contributions in the measured facial nerve CMAP at the end of surgery.