title: Cavernous hemangioma of the internal auditory canal encasing the VII and VIII cranial nerve complex: case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Cavernous angiomas originating in the internal auditory canal are very rare. In the available literature, only 65 cases of cavernomas in this location have been previously reported. We describe the case of a 22-year-old woman surgically treated for a cavernous hemangioma in the left internal auditory canal, mimicking on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging MRI an acoustic neuroma. Neurological symptoms were hypoacusia and dizziness. The cavernous angioma encased the seventh and, partially, the eighth cranial nerve complex. A "nearly total" removal was performed, leaving a thin residual of malformation adherent to the facial nerve. Postoperative period was uneventful; hearing was unchanged, but the patient had a moderate inferior left facial palsy (House-Brackmann grade II) slightly improved during the following weeks. On the basis of the observation of this uncommon case, we propose a revision of the literature and discuss clinical features, differential diagnosis, and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, San Filippo Neri Hospital, Via Reno 14, 00198, Rome, Italy. mastro@tin.it.
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mastronardi
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, San Filippo Neri Hospital, Via Reno 14, 00198, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ettore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carpineta
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, San Filippo Neri Hospital, Via Reno 14, 00198, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Guglielmo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cacciotti
authors.affiliation: Neurophysiology Unit, San Filippo Neri Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ettore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Scipio
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, San Filippo Neri Hospital, Via Reno 14, 00198, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaelino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roperto
mesh_terms: D003056:Cochlear Nerve / Q000601:surgery*; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology; D006392:Hemangioma, Cavernous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acoustic neuroma; Cavernous angioma; Cochlear nerve; Facial nerve; Internal auditory canal