[Small tumors in the internal ear canal demonstrable with proton spin resonance tomography]

In three patients an extremely small (3-7 mm) intrameatal acoustic neuroma was found by means of MRI scanning. The only symptoms were hearing loss and tinnitus of long standing (3-27 years). Acoustic neuromas are usually operated upon, as their intracranial extension may give rise to serious problems in the future. The slow progression of the tumour and the sparse pertinent literature data led to an expectative policy; surgery would be considered if follow-up MRI would indicate tumour growth.