title: Calcified vestibular schwannoma in the cerebellopontine angle.
abstract: Although vestibular schwannoma is a common tumor in the cerebellopontine angle, calcified vestibular schwannoma is rare. A 59-year-old woman with sudden onset epileptic seizures, was referred to Hokkaido Neurosurgical Memorial Hospital. Neurological examination revealed left Bruns nystagmus, left deafness and left cerebellar ataxia. Brain MRI revealed a mass, about 3cm in diameter, in the left cerebellopontine angle. The mass showed heterogeneous intensity on T1- and T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Hydrocephalus was seen. On CT scan, the tumor was calcified. Preoperatively, vestibular schwannoma, meningioma, cavernous hemangioma, or thrombosed giant aneurysm were considered as differential diagnoses. The pathological diagnosis was schwannoma. For a calcified mass in the cerebellopontine angle, vestibular schwannoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis to plan appropriate treatment strategies.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Hokkaido Neurosurgical Memorial Hospital, Kita 22, Nishi 15, Chuou-KU Sapporo 060-0022, Japan. masasama@ceres.ocn.ne.jp
authors: Masahito
authors: M
authors: Katoh
authors: Toshimitsu
authors: T
authors: Aida
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Imamura
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Aoki
authors: Masami
authors: M
authors: Yoshino
authors: Daina
authors: D
authors: Kashiwazaki
authors: Hidetoshi
authors: H
authors: Takei
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000209:etiology; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002530:Cerebellopontine Angle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D003638:Deafness / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D009759:Nystagmus, Pathologic / Q000209:etiology; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed