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Acoustic neuromaDeafness & hearing loss guideAcoustic neuroma is a very slow growing benign tumour that gradually causes deafness the bigger it grows, it usually will grow on the eighth cranial nerve and this is the nerve that affects the hearing and balance. It isn't life threatening and it doesn't spread to other parts of the body as it is non cancerous, it can be removed through surgery and it usually wont grow back. What causes the condition? It is a very rare condition with almost 95% of all reported cases being spontaneous but experts don't really know what causes the condition and the condition is more common in people between the ages of 30 and 60. a very small percentage of the cases reported are thought to be caused by a hereditary disease called Neurofibromatosis Type II, people affected this way are normally younger people who may also be affected by other types of neuroma. What are the symptoms of acoustic neuroma? The most common symptom is gradual hearing loss in the side that is affected by the tumour, as the tumour grows the hearing will deteriorate and sufferers of the disease report distorted or muffled sounds. Eventually total hearing loss may occur and there may also be a feeling of pressure and tinnitus in the side which is affected. How is the condition diagnosed? Most people with the disease will be referred to an ENT specialist by their doctor; they will be suffering from symptoms such as hearing loss, dizziness and tinnitus. The ENT specialist will take a full medical history and they will organise hearing tests and probably balance tests. They will then conclude from these tests whether or not they think you are suffering from acoustic neuroma, if so then the next step will be to do an MRI scan. The MRI scan involves passing high frequency radio waves through the body to produce a picture, the whole process will usually take just a few minutes and is painless. How is the condition treated? Treatment will depend on your health in general, how big the tumour is and the results of any other tests taken. All options will be considered and there isn't any rush for treatment as the tumour is very slow growing, treatment options include: * Observation - if the tumour is only very small then the ENT specialist may decide just to keep an eye on it and see how things progress. * Microsurgery - this is a very successful treatment for the condition and the tumour will be removed and no further treatment will be necessary. * Radiotherapy - small doses of radiation may be used to stop the tumour from growing, radiotherapy can usually be done in one visit and recovery is usually quicker than with microsurgery. |
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