[Rare tumors of the cerebellopontine angle]

Tumours of the cerebellopontine angle are essentially benign in adults, are generally treated surgically and require a preoperative assessment as precise as possible. MRI simplifies the diagnostic assessment; it is indicated as the first-line investigation and is usually sufficient whenever a tumour of the posterior cranial fossa is suspected. Acoustic neuromas represent 75% of all tumours of the cerebellopontine angle. Other tumours are rare and essentially consist of meningioma, detected in 10 to 14% of cases and cholesteatoma in 1 to 5% of cases. Cholesteatoma, with a pathognomonic appearance, must be distinguished from arachnoid cyst. Other tumours are exceptional. The authors define the diagnostic criteria based on their experience and present a recent review of the literature.