[A case of cavernous angioma--usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography in diagnosis].

We reported a case of cavernous angioma in the middle cranial fossa, which was diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). The patient was a 56-year-old female, who presented with sudden onset right-sided headache with nausea. Her neurological findings were normal. On CT scan a high density area with a surrounding thin low density area was shown in the right posterior temporal region without contrast enhancement. Cerebral angiography of the left vertebral artery revealed only a small stain at the end of the right posterior temporal artery. On T2-weighted MRI after one month, the same region exhibited a central area of mixed signal intensities surrounded by a rim of decreased signal. MRA showed an area with remarkable 10mm mass with some contiguous vessels in the right posterior temporal region. That mass was resected operatively. It's pathological diagnosis was cavernous angioma. For diagnose of cavernous angioma, MRI and MRA were very useful. The specificity of these methods are superior to better than CT or angiography.