Moloy P J, del Junco R, Porter R W, Brackmann D E
Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Irvine.
Am J Otol. 1989 Jul;10(4):297-300. doi: 10.1097/00129492-198907000-00012.
A 40-year-old male presented with a 2-month history of sudden hearing loss and tinnitus in his left ear. Mild vertigo was present initially but disappeared spontaneously without treatment. Facial nerve paralysis and retroauricular pain appeared 3 months after the onset of hearing loss on the same side. Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a 1-cm mass in the left internal auditory canal. Translabyrinthine removal of tumor revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma. The patient died 3 months postoperatively from multiple metastatic deposits. A primary tumor was never found. The course of illness in this patient differs significantly from the typical course of other conditions involving the internal auditory canal. A metastatic work-up should be considered for patients with a similar history before a craniotomy is performed.
