Meningocele of the Internal Auditory Canal Requiring Facial-Nerve Decompression

In this case report, we present the case of a 14-month-old boy with a history of left facial palsy which developed at a very young age. CT of the temporal bone revealed a cystic lesion of the left petrous apex, and sedated auditory testing revealed a profound hearing loss on the same side. Following his first episode of left facial palsy, his symptoms nearly fully resolved and he was lost to follow-up. However, he was seen 5 months later due to recurrent and sudden left-sided facial paralysis. MRI was performed due to suspicion of an epidermoid cyst. The patient was subsequently taken to the operating room for facial-nerve decompression. Intraoperatively, no obvious cystic lesion was identified. Tissue biopsied from the internal auditory canal demonstrated benign glial tissue and fibrous tissue consistent with a meningocele.