Hidetoshi Haraguchi

Pleomorphic adenoma of the external auditory canal : a case report and review of the literature

Pleomorphic adenoma arising in the external auditory canal is rare. We report the case of a 38-year-old man. To better grasp the clinical features and natural history of this uncommon tumour, we also reviewed the worldwide literature and found 24 similar cases, which we analysed together with our own.

Primary localized nodular tongue amyloidosis associated with Sjögren's syndrome

We describe a case of primary localized nodular tongue amyloidosis associated with Sjögrens syndrome in a 62-year-old woman. The presence of Sjögrens syndrome was confirmed both serologically and histologically. The amyloid tumor, which was marginally excised, recurred 3 years later and was re-excised. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that the amyloid protein was of the AL (lambda-light chain) type. Infiltration of plasma cells was observed around the minor salivary glands of the tongue surrounded by amyloid. The relationship between the plasma cells and amyloid deposition is discussed.

Schwannoma of the posterior pharyngeal wall : a case report

Schwannoma arising in the posterior pharyngeal wall is rare. We report on a 60-year-old man who complained of discomfort in his pharynx, from whom a tumour was excised via an intraoral approach. No recurrence was seen after an 11-year follow-up. The nerve origin of the tumour is most likely to be the peripharyngeal plexus. This is the third such case reported.

Vestibular schwannoma showing a dural tail on contrastenhanced magnetic resonance images

The dural tail on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images, frequently observed in meningiomas, has been used to distinguish between cerebellopontine angle meningiomas and vestibular schwannomas. We report on a 66-year-old female with vestibular schwannoma showing the dural tail on contrast-enhanced MR images. Histological examination revealed that the dural tail corresponded to the thickened dura mater comprising of collagen fibres and scattered hyalinization with no tumoral invasion.

Right Vertebral Artery Aneurysm Manifesting as Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

A 79-year-old woman complained of right hearing loss, tinnitus and dizziness. CT, MRI and angiography demonstrated a large aneurysm of the right vertebral artery. On the pure-tone audiogram, there was a remarkable difference between the right and left ears. On the left side hearing was almost normal for her age, although on the right side hearing at the frequency above the 1kHz was severely affected. Electrocochleography was performed using the extratympanic approach. The detection thresholds of both cochlear microphonics and action potential were lower than the audiometric threshold. In spite of the difference in the audiometric threshold between the right and the left ears, the DP audiograms were similar. The auditory brainstem response was normal in the left ear, but only wave I was demonstrated in the right ear. It is thought that these neurotological examinations showed retrocochlear hearing loss.