False Negative MRI Scan in an Acoustic Neuroma

The clinical picture determines the workup of the patient. The referring physicians' high index of suspicion for an acoustic tumor compelled them to persist with the evaluation and referral of this patient, despite a normal MRI. No one can argue that MRI is a technological breakthrough, but it has its limitations like any other test. The quality of the MRI study depends on the cooperation of the patient, and the capabilities of both the machine and physicians. The fact that it depends on completely different physical and chemical properties than conventional radiography suggests to us that it will be an important adjunct rather than a replacement for CT scanning.