Pitfalls in neurotologic diagnosis

Several cases illustrating potential pitfalls in neurotologic diagnosis from the viewpoint of the otologist are presented. The role of auditory brain stem response testing is specifically emphasized in cases with discordant audiologic and radiographic findings. Included are one case of a "false negative" ABR in a patient with an intracanalicular acoustic neuroma, a case of a "false positive" CT scan in a patient with Meniere's disease, and a case of a patient with normal hearing in whom an acoustic neuroma was discovered serendipitously.