|
A 44 year-old woman presented with tinnitus of the right ear associated with right sided hearing loss. |
| Acoustic Neuroma:
T1-weighted with gadolinium coronal MRI scans. Note the small nodular mass
that enhances with gadolinium. On the left image, one can see that
the tumor extends laterally along the course of the
vestibulocochlear nerve. On biopsy, this lesion was
a schwannoma of the vestibulocochlear nerve.
Schwannomas are histologically benign tumors seen along the course
of peripheral nerves, nerve roots, and cranial nerves [especially
cranial nerves V (trigeminal) and VIII (vestibulocochlear)]. They may
occur in isolation or in association with neurofibromatosis. They
arise from the Schwann cells that create the myelin sheath around
peripheral nerves. They result in symptoms when they disrupt the
function of the nerve from which they arise, or cause mass effect on
adjacent structures. |
Revised
11/28/06.
Copyrighted 2006. David C Preston