Imaging of facial nerve pathology

The facial nerve is structurally complex, both functionally and anatomically. In this article, we review the functional and structural anatomy of the facial nerve, using computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to emphasize important details that comprise thorough radiological assessment of the facial nerve. Additionally, CT and MR studies represent important tools for the diagnosis of facial nerve pathology, and the structural information that aids in preoperative planning and postoperative evaluation and CT and MR imaging of varied pathology of the facial nerve have been presented.