Magnetic resonance imaging of temporal bone and cerebellopontine angle lesions.

Lesions of the temporal bone and cerebellopontine angle present a diagnostic challenge because of the complex anatomy, multiplicity of lesions, and difficulty in imaging the dense bone of this area. Magnetic resonance imaging, a new, nonionizing imaging modality, dependent on monitoring a radiofrequency signal emitted by excited nuclei in an external magnetic field, has shown promise in imaging of the temporal bone and posterior fossa.