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A Rare Case of Temporal Bone Pneumocephalus Tracking through the Internal Auditory Canal
WayAnne Watson1, Erin Mulry2, Adam Kaufman3
1Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, USA.
Abstract:
A 39-year-old male with chronic hydrocephalus requiring biventricular shunts presented with progressive pneumocephalus over several years. He showed no improvement following ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt revision and anterior skull base repair for a sphenoid dehiscence. Imaging continued to show worsening pneumocephalus with air tracking along the right facial nerve from the geniculate ganglion to the internal auditory canal (IAC). The patient then underwent tympanomastoidectomy and skull base reconstruction. Based on a search of published literature, this appears to be the first reported case of temporal bone pneumocephalus coursing through the IAC, unlike most cases associated with tegmen defects and middle fossa pneumocephalus.
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