Translabyrinthine Excision of a Transmodiolar Intralabyrinthine Schwannoma Mimicking Meniere's Disease: A Case Report.

Abstract

Intralabyrinthine schwannomas (ILSs) are rare tumors involving the otic capsule. Notably, they are often misdiagnosed because their symptoms mimic those of other, more common inner ear pathologies. Diagnosis requires high-resolution contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which reveals filling defects (using a T2-weighted MRI sequence) or focal enhancement (using a T1-weighted MRI sequence with gadolinium enhancement) in the inner ear. A 52-year-old male patient with intractable vertigo or single-sided deafness should raise suspicion of this clinical entity as a differential diagnosis. Translabyrinthine excision of the tumor along with auditory rehabilitation using a cochlear implant can provide good outcomes with minimal morbidity in carefully selected cases. Here, we present an interesting case of a transmodiolar ILS mimicking Meniere's disease, wherein surgery using the translabyrinthine approach and an extended cochleostomy yielded favorable outcomes.