Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Large Vestibular Aqueduct

The large vestibular aqueduct syndrome describes an abnormally large endolymphatic duct and sac with associated sensorineural hearing loss. This entity was originally reported in 1978 and has since been identified as a finding in children with progressive hearing loss. The original description of the large vestibular aqueduct employed hypocycloidal polytomography of temporal bone. Subsequent reports studied patients identified with this syndrome using computed tomographic scans. We report magnetic resonance imaging of two patients diagnosed with the large vestibular aqueduct syndrome. The magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomographic scans are compared and the significant findings on magnetic resonance imaging are reviewed. This should assist the otolaryngologist and radiologist with establishing the appropriate diagnosis. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1992;118:1124-1127).