An unusual tumour of the cerebellopontine angle

Abstract

An unusual tumour of the cerebellopontine angle. Objective: To report an extremely rare case of lipoma of the cerebellopontine angle (CPA).

Case report: A 33-year-old woman presented with vertigo and tinnitus in the left ear. Her physical examination was unremarkable. Audiometric evaluation was normal in both ears. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without fat signal suppression revealed a hyperintense lesion of the left CPA. Based on the neuroimaging findings, the diagnosis was left CPA lipoma. The patient was managed conservatively. After 48 months, follow-up MRI revealed no further growth of the lesion and the patient was symptom free.

Conclusion: Lipomas of the CPA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of vertigo and tinnitus. Accurate diagnosis by MRI is critical.