Cavernous Hemangioma of the Internal Auditory Canal

We reported a patient with cavernous hemangioma of the internal auditory canal. A 47-year-old man demonstrated progressive hearing loss and facial palsy on the left hand side over 4 years. A small tumor was detected in his left internal auditory canal by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The lesion displayed iso-signal intensity in T1-weighted images, high signal intensity in T2-weight images, and positive Gadolinium enhancement. Under tentative diagnosis as neurinoma, the tumor was totally removed by the translabyrinthine approach. The red tumor had compressed the facial and cochlear nerves, and adhered to the vestibular nerve in the internal auditory canal. It was diagnosed as cavernous hemangioma by immunohistochemical examination. There has not been any sign of recurrent tumors, but hearing loss and left facial palsy persisted after surgery. A cavernous hemangioma of the internal auditory canal tends to manifest with progressive hearing loss and facial palsy based on a review of past reports.