Intraosseous Petrous Apex Schwannoma: Case Report and Review of Literature.

BACKGROUND

Intraosseous petrous apex schwannomas are an exceedingly rare entity; little is known about their epidemiology, natural history, and postoperative outcomes.

CASE DESCRIPTION: Here, we present the fourth known case of a primary intraosseous schwannoma of the petrous apex: a 68-year-old woman presenting with diplopia, facial numbness, progressive intermittent vertigo, tinnitus, diminished hearing, and ataxia. She underwent a transtemporal approach for subtotal resection of the tumor with subsequent stereotactic radiosurgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Our 2-year follow-up demonstrates slow growth and success of multimodal management in the treatment of these tumors. We review the 3 prior reports of petrous apex schwannomas and identify unifying radiographic and clinical characteristics to aid future diagnostic considerations of lesions of the petrous apex.