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Case Reports
. 1999 Feb;20(2):275-7.

Spontaneous CSF otorrhea caused by abnormal development of the facial nerve canal

L V Petrus  1 , W W Lo
Affiliations
Case Reports

Spontaneous CSF otorrhea caused by abnormal development of the facial nerve canal

L V Petrus et al. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 1999 Feb.

Abstract

In two patients with surgically proved CSF fistula through the facial nerve canal, MR and CT examinations showed smooth enlargement of the geniculate fossa with CSF signal. In the clinical setting of CSF otorrhea or rhinorrhea, the presence of an enlarged labyrinthine facial nerve canal and enlarged geniculate fossa on CT scans and CSF intensity on MR images strongly suggests a CSF fistula through the facial nerve canal.

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Figures

<sc>fig</sc> 1.
fig 1.
A–C, 34-year-old man with three episodes of meningitis over the course of 1 year. High-resolution coronal temporal bone CT scans of the right ear show smooth enlargement of the right geniculate fossa (arrow, A) and of the labyrinthine facial nerve canal (arrow, B), and a normal labyrinthine facial nerve canal of the left ear (arrow, C)
<sc>fig</sc> 2.
fig 2.
5-year-old boy in whom myringotomy had been performed to correct left-sided otitis media. A and B, Axial CT scans of the temporal bones show enlarged left geniculate fossa (arrow, A) and enlarged tympanic facial nerve canal (arrows, B). C, Coronal T2-weighted MR image shows an area of high signal intensity, consistent with CSF superior to the cochlea in the region of the left geniculate fossa (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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