Auditory evoked potentials (AEP)--an important help in early diagnosis of Schwannoma originating from vestibular nerve.

Early diagnosis of expansive formations enables efficient therapy and maximal reduction of remaining neurological damage. Schwannoma situated entirely within the inner auditory canal with free pontocerebellar angle is a rather rare event. Of significant diagnostical help are auditory evoked potentials (AEP), computerised tomography (CT) of the temporal bone pyramid with measuring the inner auditory canal diameter, and magnetic resonance (MRI). In this paper we present a case of a 56-year-old woman with gradually advancing noise in the right ear, weakening of hearing and occasional instability while walking. AEP register no evoked response at the right side, whereas at the left side the latencies and amplitudes of evoked acoustic responses are adequate. CT of the temporal bone pyramid shows a difference in the inner auditory canal diameters of 0.04 cm. MRI shows a Schwannoma tumorous formation in the inner auditory canal, situated entirely within the canal with free pontocerebellar angle (Fig. 3, Ref. 16). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.