Metrizamide cisternography in the diagnosis of acoustic neurinomas

Seventy-three cisternographies with metrizamide were performed on 69 patients, mainly for diagnosis of an acoustic neurinoma. Of the 31 patients with pathological findings on cisternography 26 underwent surgery for 23 acoustic neurinomas, one neurinoma of the facial nerve, and two meningiomas. For diagnosing small tumours of the cerebellopontine cistern, cisternography is superior to all other neuroradiological methods. Tomography of the porus acusticus internus and CT scanning are the initial radiological methods in patients with signs of cerebellopontine angle lesions; if no lesion is disclosed by these two methods cisternography with metrizamide should be performed to exclude a small tumour, particularly a small acoustic neurinoma.