Cost-effectiveness of intraoperative facial nerve monitoring in middle ear or mastoid surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the utility of intraoperative facial nerve monitoring in reducing the risk of iatrogenic facial nerve injury during neurotologic surgery, its routine use during primary or revision surgery remains controversial. One of the major barriers to its acceptance is cost. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of intraoperative facial nerve monitoring during middle ear or mastoid surgery. RESEARCH DESIGN/
METHODS: A simple decision analytic cost-effectiveness model and a societal approach were used to evaluate three cohorts of individuals who received (1) intraoperative facial nerve monitoring for both primary and revision middle ear or mastoid surgeries, or (2) facial nerve monitoring for revision surgeries only, or (3) no monitoring for any middle ear or mastoid surgeries.
RESULTS: Our results strongly favored the use of intraoperative facial nerve monitoring in all patients undergoing middle ear or mastoid surgery, adding about $222.73 to $528.00 US dollars to the total cost. The strategy to monitor primary and revision surgeries had the greatest effectiveness and lowest cost, with an average quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of 45.68 at an average cost of $238 US dollars. Facial nerve monitoring in revision patients only had similar QALYs (45.67) and higher costs ($292.1). Finally, the strategy not to monitor had the lowest QALY (45.65) and highest cost ($449.8). The analysis was robust across a wide range of changes in both costs and probabilities.
CONCLUSIONS: Facial nerve monitoring is cost-effective, and its routine use should be adopted to reduce the risk of iatrogenic facial nerve injury during otologic surgery.