Prophylaxis with nimodipine and dexamethasone as prevention of delayed facial nerve lesion following vestibular schwannoma resection
Authors:
F. Vokálek 1; T. Radovnický 1; P. Vachata 1; J. Ceé 1; K. Hrach 2; M. Sameš 1
Authors‘ workplace:
Neurochirurgická klinika Fakulty zdravotnických studií Univerzity J. E. Purkyně a Masarykovy nemocnice v Ústí nad Labem, o. z., Krajská zdravotní, a. s.
1; Ústav biomedicíny a laboratorní diagnostiky FZS UJEP a Krajské zdravotní, a. s. - Masarykovy nemocnice v Ústí nad Labem, o. z.
2
Published in:
Cesk Slov Neurol N 2026; 89(3): 194-198
Category:
Original Paper
doi:
https://doi.org/10.48095/cccsnn2026194
Overview
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of nimodipine in combination with dexamethasone on the incidence of delayed facial nerve palsy after vestibular schwannoma resection. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a group of patients who underwent vestibular schwannoma resection between 2002 and 2016, when neither nimodipine nor dexamethasone were used as standard therapy and then compared with patients treated between 2016 and 2023, after pharmacoprophylaxis with these agents had been adopted as routine practice during surgery for vestibular schwannoma. Delayed facial nerve palsy was defined as a deterioration of two or more grades in the House-Brackmann scale compared with the early postoperative status, occurring between the 5th (inclusive) and the 30th postoperative day. Results: A total of 111 patients who underwent vestibular schwannoma resection were included in the analysis, comprising 49 patients who received pharmacoprophylaxis and 62 patients who did not. Delayed facial nerve palsy developed in eight patients (7.2%), with two cases (4.1%) in the pharmacoprophylaxis group and six cases (9.7%) in the non-treatment group (P = 0.226). Conclusion: The descriptive findings of this study suggest a potentially favorable effect of prophylactic administration of nimodipine and dexamethasone in reducing the risk of delayed facial nerve palsy after vestibular schwannoma resection.
Keywords:
Facial nerve – vestibular schwannoma – dexamethasone – facial palsy – facial nerve injury – nimodipin
Sources
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Paediatric neurology Neurosurgery NeurologyArticle was published in
Czech and Slovak Neurology and Neurosurgery
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