Surgical dimensions of the facial recess in adults and children.

The facial recess approach permits surgical access to the round window area. This route is used in patients who are undergoing cochlear implantation. To evaluate the feasibility of this procedure in children as compared with adults, serial sections of temporal bones were used to measure the surgical dimensions of the facial recess. No statistically significant differences in the dimensions of the facial recess or the extended facial recess approaches were found between children and adults. The relationship of the facial and chorda tympani nerves to the annular plane exhibited no change with postnatal growth. These structures translate posteriorly and laterally toward the annular plane as they descend within the temporal bone. Therefore, the facial recess approach represents no greater hazard in a child than in an adult.