title: Cochlear vertebral entrapment syndrome: a case report.
abstract: The authors describe a patient with isolated involvement of vestibulocochlear nerve by a huge vascular loop from vertebral dolichoectasia. No other neurological deficit was found except for unilateral hearing loss. Abnormal brainstem auditory evoked potential study indicated a retrocochlear lesion. The brain computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies demonstrated an abnormally enhanced vascular lesion impinged on the left porus acusticus with a displacement of the brainstem to the right. There was no infarction in the brainstem. A cerebral angiography demonstrated a megadolichoectatic horizontal loop at the intracranial portion of the left vertebral artery. There was no thrombus or atherosclerosis in the vertebrobasilar system. A mechanical compression by a vascular loop is the only possible pathogenesis for hearing loss. The authors diagnose this condition as cochlear vertebral entrapment syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 199, Tung Hwa North Road, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D003056:Cochlear Nerve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging