Brain Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Brain Cancer, including details on symptoms, benign and malignant tumors, gliomas, treatment.

Calcified vestibular schwannoma in the cerebellopontine angle.

Katoh M, Aida T, Imamura H, Aoki T, Yoshino M, Kashiwazaki D, Takei H

Department of Neurosurgery, Hokkaido Neurosurgical Memorial Hospital, Kita 22, Nishi 15, Chuou-KU Sapporo 060-0022, Japan. masasama@ceres.ocn.ne.jp

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.

Published 21 November 2007 in J Clin Neurosci, 14(12): 1207-9.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Brain Cancer Research Today. All Rights Reserved.