Facial schwannomas are slow growing tumours with low incidence.

Usual presentations can sometimes be masked.

They often are confused with vestibular schwannomas on imaging, especially if they are limited to the cisternal segment of the facial nerve. Awareness regarding this entity is paramount for the early diagnosis and correct management which may differ from patient to patient.

Appropriate management decision needs to be arrived after considering three determinants i.e. the patient's age, hearing status and the severity of facial paresis (House-Brackmann grading).

Nerve reconstruction after excision should be performed in each case and sometimes the results may be delayed. It is thus important to keep a close surviellance during the follow up and to perform the electrophysiological tests frequently so as to detect the earliest signs of regeneration (which can be delayed up to 18 months).

Three cases of facial schwannomas were analyzed retrospectively and underwent surgical excision with sural nerve cable grafting and have no recurrence till date. However, the facial paresis remained the same in one of the cases while improvement was observed in two patients. The improvement was delayed in one patient as documented by electromyography of facial muscles ¹⁾.