Digital camera documentation system for facial nerve outcome assessment.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the use of a digital camera to document facial nerve function after skull base surgery.

SETTING

Patients undergoing skull base surgery at a tertiary care otologic and neurotologic clinic were used in the study.

INTERVENTIONS: None.

RESULTS

A digital camera system provided still images and a video strip lasting less than a minute to document facial nerve motion.

CONCLUSIONS

An inexpensive digital camera system can be used to capture still and moving images of facial nerve function on a floppy disk. The images can then be transferred to compact disks for storage of many patient files. Such a system allows documentation for research, exchange of data between offices, and patient education, and it can be used for medical-legal purposes among other uses.