[Magnetic resonance tomography in suspected acoustic neurinoma: technic and differential diagnosis]

Sixty-five patients with suspected acoustic neuromas were examined by CT and MR; the optimal diagnostic procedures are discussed. Extrameatal acoustic neuromas (11 cases) were all diagnosed by CT and MR, but only 82% of intrameatal tumours could be diagnosed by CT combined with air cisternography. Using special surface coils and the paramagnetic contrast medium Gd-DTPA, the accuracy of MR was 100%. All tumours greater than 4 mm were demonstrated. Following clinical and neurological examination, MR is the primary diagnostic method in the investigation of acoustic neuromas.