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Sterile abscess mimicking recurrent tumour in the cerebellopontine angle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

V. Srinivasan
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands WA 6009, Australia.
K. S. Anandacoomaraswamy
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands WA 6009, Australia.
M. D. Atlas
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands WA 6009, Australia.

Abstract

Vestibular schwannomas are the most common tumours encountered in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) region, accounting for 90 per cent of all lesions. Early pyogenic abscess following surgery and delayed abscesses due to retained foreign bodies have been reported. We describe a case of sterile abscess of unknown aetiology in the CPA region, occurring 13 years after surgical excision of a vestibular schwannoma. The clinical and radiological features were suggestive of recurrent vestibular schwannoma or malignant transformation.

We believe this is the first reported case of delayed occurrence of sterile abscess in the CPA region. Further the diagnostic difficulties of such rare lesions occurring in the CPA after vestibular schwannoma surgery are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2002

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