Gd-DTPA enhanced MRI in Ramsay Hunt syndrome

• Published in: Acta oto-laryngologica. Supplement Vol. 511; p. 170
• Main Authors: Tada, Y, Aoyagi, M, Tojima, H, Inamura, H, Saito, O, Maeyama, H, Kohsyu, H, Koike, Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Norway 1994
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Cochlea - innervation; Cochlea - pathology; Contrast Media; Electrodiagnosis; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem - physiology; Facial Nerve - pathology; Facial Paralysis - diagnosis; Facial Paralysis - pathology; Gadolinium; Gadolinium DTPA; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - diagnosis; Herpes Zoster Oticus - diagnosis; Herpes Zoster Oticus - pathology; Humans; Image Enhancement; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Mastoid - innervation; Organometallic Compounds; Pentetic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Petrous Bone - innervation; Vestibule, Labyrinth - innervation; Vestibule, Labyrinth - pathology; Vestibulocochlear Nerve - pathology
• ISSN: 0365-5237
• DOI: 10.3109/00016489409128326

Ten patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome underwent magnetic resonance (MR) scans. In many examinations, abnormal enhancement of the 7th nerve in the internal acoustic meatal segment through the mastoid segment was observed. Out of seven patients with cochlear and/or vestibular symptoms, only one showed abnormal enhancement of the 8th nerve, in addition to the 7th. The other 6 patients showed the same findings as in Bell's palsy, showing no enhancement of the 8th nerve. This suggests that clinical symptoms have no relation to the results of MRI. Enhanced MRI is the most sensitive means of making differential diagnoses between Hunt's syndrome and tumors, but it is impossible to detect all lesion sites corresponding to the symptoms in Hunt's syndrome.