Intracapsular enucleation of cervical neurilemmomas for preservation of neural function

Abstract

Intracapsular enucleation is thought to be a suitable method for preserving post-operative function of the original nerve following treatment for cervical neurilemmomas. In previous studies, however, post-operative palsy occurred in most cases and there have been seen several cases in which nerve funtions did not recover. In the present study, we performed a modified method of intracapsular enucleation for two cervical neurilemmomas, the first case involved the facial nerve, the second the hypoglossal nerve. In these cases, post-operative palsy has not been observed since immediately after surgery. Important points in this procedure include (1) making the incision line at a point on the capsule where few nerve fibers exist, (2) ablating the capsule from the tumor as gently as possible, (3) monitoring nerve function using a nerve stimulator throughout the procedure.