leptomeningeal carcinomatosis and bilateral internal auditory canal metastases from ovarian carcinoma

Abstract

Ovarian cancer, a leading cause of death in women, typically spreads locally and rarely metastasizes to the brain or seeds the leptomeninges. We present a case of a 62-year-old woman with a history of treated ovarian cell carcinoma who developed bilateral sensorineural deafness and right-sided facial weakness and on imaging was found to have bilateral internal auditory canal (IAC) masses and leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, pathologically proven by cerebrospinal fluid cytology. We discuss her magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography-computed tomography findings and review the imaging characteristics of IAC metastases. Finally, we review the literature on leptomeningeal carcinomatosis from ovarian cancer and discuss the high incidence of bilateral IAC metastases in patients with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis.