Acoustic Schwannoma Presenting as Acute Posterior Fossa Hematoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Acoustic schwannomas usually present with gradually progressive unilateral sensorineural hearing loss. As the tumor enlarges, symptoms and signs develop when the adjacent cranial nerves, cerebelhim, and/or brainstem become compressed. Rarely, acoustic tumors present with acute subarachnoid or intratumoral hemorrhage. Of the 12 cases of acoustic schwannoma with tumoral hemorrhage presented in the literature of which we are aware, this is the third such case of a patient presenting with spontaneous pure intratumoral hemorrhage and the first such case presenting with sudden multiple cranial nerve palsies, The purpose of this report is to increase the awareness of this rare form of presentation of acoustic schwannoma in the hope of achieving better preservation of cranial nerves.