Evaluation of audiovestibular and conventional neuro-radiological tests in diagnosis of the internal auditory meatus and adjoining posterior fossa tumefaction

Abstract

Early recognition of Cerebellopontine angle tumours reduces the morbidity and mortality of these patients. With this view 112 patients were studied using clinical audiovestibular and neuroradiological studies. It is observed that using X-rays in Towne’s, Anterio-posterior, Stenver’s views; Audiometry studying pure tone, speech, tone decay, recruitment; studying Nystagmus, spontaneous and induced with or without fixation, caloric tests; contrast X-ray studies such as carotid angiography and conray ventriculography, it is neither possible to detect the tumour still confined to the internal meatus, nor detect their exact nature. Therefore cases amenable to transtemporal extra labyrinthine approach can’t be detected with this battery of tests.

However, tumours of the 2nd stage and other advanced stages could be detected where the translabyrinthinine or posterior fossa approach might be tried.