KEY PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC FACTORS DETERMINING RECOVERY IN FACIAL NERVE LESIONS: CURRENT SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING

Anatomical features of the facial nerve largely determine its vulnerability to various pathogenic effects. A complex tortuous passage through the bony canal of the temporal bone, the presence of narrow areas (especially in the area of the labyrinthine segment, where the diameter of the canal exceeds the diameter of the nerve by only 0.1-0.2 mm), relatively poor blood supply to the intracanal part — all these factors create prerequisites for nerve compression with minimal edema or inflammatory reaction. On the other hand, the presence of about 10,000 axons in the nerve and its multifunctionality (motor, parasympathetic, sensory and gustatory fibers) determine the variety of clinical manifestations in its lesion.