Frequency and Diagnostic Utility of Intralabyrinthine FLAIR Hyperintensity in the Evaluation of Internal Auditory Canal and Inner Ear Pathology

Identification of inner ear FLAIR hyperintensity can alert the radiologist to scrutinize pre- and post-gadolinium T1-weighted images and T2-weighted images for subtle IAC and inner ear abnormalities. Although enhancement after the administration of gadolinium contrast media is the gold standard for detection of schwannoma, inner ear FLAIR hyperintensity may be a helpful diagnostic adjunct for vestibular schwannoma. This may be particularly helpful when gadolinium was not administered and the T2-weighted images are equivocal, especially when dedicated thin-section imaging of the IACs and temporal bones was not performed.