title: Cavernous Malformation of the Seventh Cranial Nerve: Case Report and Review of Literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cavernous malformations (CMs) arising in the cranial nerves are rare. Only a few cases of facial nerve CMs have been reported in the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 52-year old woman presented with headache, unilateral worsening facial weakness, and hearing loss. Imaging was suggestive of a CM of the cerebellopontine angle. Intraoperatively, a mulberry-shaped lesion was seen arising entirely within the seventh nerve. The patient underwent complete resection with sural nerve interposition graft.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CMs are very rare but should be included in the differential diagnosis of cerebellopontine angle masses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Eesha
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maiodna
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Electronic address: Faiz.Ahmad@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Faiz U
authors.initials: FU
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA. Electronic address: jmorcos@med.miami.edu.
authors.forename: Jacques J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Morcos
mesh_terms: D002530:Cerebellopontine Angle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003390:Cranial Nerve Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006392:Hemangioma, Cavernous / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Cavernous malformation; Cranial nerve; Facial nerve; Internal auditory meatus