Intracochlear schwannoma presenting as diffuse cochlear enhancement: diagnostic challenges of a rare cause of deafness.
Intracochlear schwannoma is a rare, treatable, cause of unilateral hearing loss. Due to the small size, position, and variable clinical and imaging features, diagnosis presents a significant challenge and is often delayed. We present a case of a patient with an intracochlear schwannoma presenting as a diffuse enhancement of the cochlea, mimicking an infectious or inflammatory process. The absence of focal nodularity in this lesion on multiple high-resolution MRI examinations led to a delay of over 3 years from the patient's initial presentation to surgical diagnosis. Clinical history and examination, imaging features, pathologic findings, and surgical management options are described.
Miller
M E
ME
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, 10833 LeConte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Moriarty
J M
JM
Linetsky
M
M
Lai
C
C
Ishiyama
A
A
D000328:Adult; D003051:Cochlea / Q000473:pathology*; D003638:Deafness / Q000209:etiology*; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D004428:Ear Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery