Facial nerve lying lateral to ossicles in one case of congenital aural atresia.

An abnormal facial nerve (FN) course can be found in a significant number of patients with congenital aural atresia. However, the literature does not include any cases in which the tympanic portion of the FN was displaced lateral to ossicles. We report a unique case of unilateral congenital aural atresia with this rare FN displacement. A review of the existing literature and a discussion are also provided.