Multicentric eighth cranial nerve schwannoma.

To our knowledge, only 3 histopathologically proved cases of multicentric eighth cranial nerve schwannoma have been described in the literature since 1981. We describe a patient with 2 isolated eighth cranial nerve schwannomas arising separately from the left cochlea and internal auditory canal. These 2 tumors were diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging prior to resection, and the diagnosis was further confirmed by intraoperative findings and histopathologic analysis. The genetic molecular basis and clinical features of this rare tumor have been overlooked. The value of the transotic approach for total tumor removal is emphasized.