Role of computerized tomography in the diagnosis of acoustic neuromas

Computerized tomography has manifest usefulness in the roentgenologic identification of intracranial masses, and acoustic neuromas are no exception. Nonetheless, traditional roentgenographic examinations for the workup of acoustic neuromas should not yet be completely discarded in favor of this new modality. Computerized tomography scanning is an insensitive and unreliable technique for delineating the size and configuration of the internal acoustic canals. With current technology, it will not reliably show neuromas less than 1.5 cm in cross-sectional dimension. Technical artifacts may also contribute to false-negative and though rare to false-positive findings. The false-negative rate will be unacceptably high in the presence of small lesions if this technique is treated as a definitive examination rather than a screening one. Though uncommon, it may also be negative in the presence of relatively large lesions.