What should I do if I have facial palsy after auditory neuroma surgery? Most tumors of the auditory nerve in the pontocerebellar horn are benign. After the tumor is removed, many patients find facial palsy. What should I do if I find facial palsy? First of all, you need to ask the surgeon whether the nerve is connected or whether the damage is serious. Since facial nerve damage is sometimes unavoidable during surgery because the nerve is adjacent to the auditory nerve, it is important for the patient to understand that this is a sacrifice that has to be made in order to remove the tumor. If the nerve is clearly broken, or even if it is attached, but intraoperative electrophysiologic monitoring indicates severe damage, then prompt nerve repair is recommended (more on this later). If the damage is not severe, then active facial muscle training is recommended early in the postoperative period and recovery is carefully monitored. A weekly diary should be kept to record changes and a monthly EMG should be performed to see changes. If there is a positive change, then continue to wait. However, if there is no improvement in six months, then it is recommended to consider nerve repair as soon as possible.