PAROXYSMAL TINNITUS DUE TO A MENINGIOMA IN THE CEREBELLOPONTINE ANGLE

A 44 year old woman presented with frequent paroxysms of unilateral ti nnitus and ataxia which were abolished by treatment with carbamazepine . Hearing was normal and initially there were no other symptoms or sig ns between paroxysms. Brain stem evoked responses from the affected le ft ear were absent and MRT showed a large tumour in the left cerebello pontine angle. This was completely removed and histologically proved t o be a meningioma. There were striking similarities to trigeminal neur algia and other paroxysmal brain stem symptoms which occasionally occu r in multiple sclerosis and diseases of the cerebellopontine angle. Po ssible mechanisms are discussed.