Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging has become the study of choice for the diagnosis of retrocochlear and central vestibular disease. Three groups of lesions, each characterized by a specific site of origin, have been recognized: 1) petrous apex lesions such as congenital cholesteatomas and cholesterol granulomas involving the eighth cranial nerve within the internal auditory canal; 2) cerebellopontine angle tumors, mainly acoustic neuromas and meningiomas; and 3) CNS disease involving the brain stem and the central auditory and vestibular pathways such as tumors, multiple sclerosis, infarcts, and hemorrhage.