Hemifacial spasm resulting from cerebellopontine angle lipoma: case report.

A case of hemifacial spasm associated with a cerebellopontine angle lipoma is described. Both the seventh and the eighth cranial nerves were incorporated and distorted within this tumor, which seemed to be the cause of hemifacial spasm and other cranial nerve dysfunctions, but obvious vascular elements were not included. To identify a cerebellopontine angle lesion as a lipoma is very important in surgical management. Magnetic resonance imaging is essential to the differential diagnosis of the cerebellopontine angle lesion.