Intralabyrinthine schwannomas are uncommon tumors that mimic the clinical features of many other neurotologic conditions. A high index of suspicion and precise imaging are often required to detect these tumors. Surgical treatment is indicated for specific indications and will be needed in the minority of patients with this disorder. The classification system that we propose is helpful in both the diagnosis and the management of these tumors.
Primary intraosseous cavernous hemangiomas (PICHs) of the skull base are extremely rare tumors. These lesions are most common in the frontal and parietal bones of the calvarium. The authors describe a 40-year-old female who presented with progressive headaches. Serial imaging revealed a contrast-enhancing intraosseous lesion of the lateral body of the sphenoid bone and the greater wing associated with encroachment of the inferior cavernous sinus and mild posterior displacement of the cavernous carotid artery. Follow-up imaging 9 years later revealed slow growth of the lesion. The patient underwent complete excision of the PICH through an extradural frontopolar approach. Pathological examination revealed an intraosseous cavernous hemangioma. PICHs of the skull base can mimic other more common skull base lesions and thus can be difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Diagnosis is usually made at surgery. The authors review the literature regarding the clinical presentation, radiological characteristics, pathological features, and surgical management of PICHs.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: ILS is a rare lesion that has a different management from the more common "acoustic" schwannoma. To date, only 137 cases have been reported. We present a classification scheme based on labyrinthine anatomy to describe and localize these lesions. Treatment and prognosis hinge on the appropriate localization of these tumors; thus, a concise terminology that can be used by both the otolaryngologist and radiology communities is desirable.
"Giant" AGs (>1 cm) are uncommon and can be misdiagnosed as venous sinus pathology such as a neoplasm or thrombosis. Seventeen patients with a total of 19 venous sinus AGs of >1 cm were collected from contributing authors. MR imaging was available for all AGs; CT, for 5/19; and DSA, for 7/19. Intra-AG fluid was compared with CSF in subarachnoid spaces. Nonfluid AG tissue was compared with gray matter. Diagnosis was based on imaging findings. Fluid within giant AGs did not follow CSF signal intensity on at least 1 MR image in nearly 80% (15/19) of AGs. Nine of these 15 AGs had CSF-incongruent signal intensity on ≥2 MR images. CSF-incongruent signal intensity was seen in 8/8 AGs on FLAIR, 7/10 on precontrast T1WI, 13/19 on T2WI, and 8/14 on contrast-enhanced T1WI. Nonfluid signal intensity was present in 18/19 AGs and varied from absent/hypointense (intra-AG flow voids) to gray matter isointense (stromal tissue).
The retropharyngeal and cervical lymph-node-bearing areas in 30 patients were examined with computed tomography (CT) to determine the range of normal variation in these nodal groups. The data agree with those in the pathologic, anatomic, and surgical literature, and indicate that CT can very precisely determine the size and gross morphology of normal nodes in the retropharyngeal region and the neck. This should have important applications in the management of patients with head and neck cancer.
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