Acoustic neuroma: correlations between morphology and otoneurological manifestations

Forty-two patients with acoustic neuroma (AN) were studied to determine whether different types of neuroma could be correlated with specific signs and symptoms of the disease. Based on gadolinium-enhanced TI-weighted MRI sequences, the 42 cases of AN could be divided into three groups, either by size (small: 11.9%, medium: 50%, and large: 38.1%) or by site of origin of the tumour (lateral: 16.7%, intermediate: 69%, and medial: 14.3%). Relations were found between the size and the site of origin of the neuromas and certain clinical, audiological and vestibular findings. The clinical presentation seemed to vary with the site of origin and the size of the tumour: patients with lateral neuromas generally had small tumours, sometimes only located in the internal auditory canal (IAC), and presented early subjective hearing loss while patients with medial neuromas had larger tumours which grew without causing significant audiological symptoms. Normal hearing function was seen only in the patients with medial ANs; however, a significant relation between the size or the site of origin of the AN and the average hearing threshold was not demonstrated. The sensitivity of the stapedial reflex test (SR) was higher for lateral ANs. Anomalies in the brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) did not seem to be related to either the size or the site of origin of the AN. The vestibular tests demonstrated a higher frequency of central vestibular involvement in the large tumours, while normal function was more frequent in the lateral tumours. In the group studied the combination of BAEPs and vestibular tests allowed us to identify all the ANs with an optimal level of sensitivity.