title: Sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss caused by meningeal carcinomatosis secondary to occult malignancy: report of two cases.
abstract: Meningeal carcinomatosis (MC) is an uncommon form of metastasis of solid tumors. In the absence of clinical meningeal or parenchymal involvements, the sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) as the starting symptom of MC is very infrequent. We report the history of two patients affected by MC who presented first with progressive SNHL. In both cases the early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) finding mimicked bilateral masses in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). Only the histopathologic result and surgical biopsy in cases 1 and 2, respectively, identified masses secondary to occult malignancy. However the available investigations could not discover the primary site of metastatic carcinoma. Despite the poor prognosis, because of the rarity and severity of MC we consider important to make known our experience in order to consider metastatic tumors in the differential diagnosis for sudden SNHL.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Otorhinolaringology, Policlinico A. Gemelli, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito, 8, 00168 Roma, Italy. raffaellamarchese@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Maria Raffaella
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Marchese
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: La Greca
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paludetti
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D002530:Cerebellopontine Angle / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D055756:Meningeal Carcinomatosis / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*