9/2/2023 0 Comments Auditory nerve neuroma![]() As the tumor grows larger, surgical removal is more complicated because the tumor may have damaged the nerves that control facial movement, hearing, and balance and may also have affected other nerves and structures of the brain. ![]() If the tumor is small, hearing may be saved and accompanying symptoms may improve by removing it to prevent its eventual effect on the hearing nerve. The exact type of operation done depends on the size of the tumor and the level of hearing in the affected ear. Sometimes, the tumor is surgically removed (excised). There are three options for managing a vestibular schwannoma: (1) surgical removal, (2) radiation, and (3) observation. How is a vestibular schwannoma treated?Įarly diagnosis of a vestibular schwannoma is key to preventing its serious consequences. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are critical in the early detection of a vestibular schwannoma and are helpful in determining the location and size of a tumor and in planning its microsurgical removal. Once the symptoms appear, a thorough ear examination and hearing and balance testing (audiogram, electronystagmography, auditory brainstem responses) are essential for proper diagnosis. Also, hearing loss, dizziness, and tinnitus are common symptoms of many middle and inner ear problems (the important point here is that unilateral or asymmetric symptoms are the worrisome ones). Unfortunately, early detection of the tumor is sometimes difficult because the symptoms may be subtle and may not appear in the beginning stages of growth. Unilateral/asymmetric hearing loss and/or tinnitus and loss of balance/dizziness are early signs of a vestibular schwannoma. How is a vestibular schwannoma diagnosed? If the tumor becomes large, it will eventually press against nearby brain structures (such as the brainstem and the cerebellum), becoming life-threatening. Vestibular schwannomas can also affect the facial nerve (for the muscles of the face) causing facial weakness or paralysis on the side of the tumor. As the tumor grows, it can interfere with the face sensation nerve (the trigeminal nerve), causing facial numbness. As the vestibular schwannoma grows, it affects the hearing and balance nerves, usually causing unilateral (one-sided) or asymmetric hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), and dizziness/loss of balance. The tumor comes from an overproduction of Schwann cells-the cells that normally wrap around nerve fibers like onion skin to help support and insulate nerves. Inner ear with vestibular schwannoma (tumor)Ī vestibular schwannoma (also known as acoustic neuroma, acoustic neurinoma, or acoustic neurilemoma) is a benign, usually slow-growing tumor that develops from the balance and hearing nerves supplying the inner ear.Ī vestibular schwannoma (also known as acoustic neuroma, acoustic neurinoma, or acoustic neurilemoma) is a benign, usually slow-growing tumor that develops from the balance and hearing nerves supplying the inner ear.
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