acoustic neuroma…

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central nervous system, vestibular schwannoma, tumor, acoustic, cerebellopontine angle tumor, angle tumor, an acoustic neuroma, benign, noncancerous, slow-growing tumor, the nerve that connects the ear, brain, 8th cranial, auditory, nerve, tumors, thought to arise, defect, certain tumor suppressor gene, prevents tumors from occurring, the genetic defect is not known, acoustic neuroma, linked, the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 2, nf2, acoustic neuromas, relatively uncommon, the most common types of brain tumors, affect approximately 1 out of 100,000 people per year, tumor, commonly located, the brain, auditory nerve leaves the skull cavity, enters the bony structure, the inner ear, the size, location, the tumor, the tumors grow so slowly, arise, age of 30, common symptoms, tinnitus, ringing, ear, hearing loss, in the affected ear, vertigo, an abnormal sensation of movement, less common symptoms, headache, upon awakening, awakens patient from sleep, aggravated by lying, reclining position, aggravated by standing up, aggravated by coughing, sneezing, straining, lifting, valsalva maneuver, nausea, vomiting, difficulty understanding speech, out of proportion to total hearing loss, dizziness, loss of balance, numbness, in the face, one ear, pain, in the face, one ear, transient vision abnormalities, diagnose an acoustic neuroma, neurological examination, testing, the patient, results of a physical examination, unremarkable, except, signs, facial drooping on one side, unsteady walk, drooling, tumor is large, additionally be signs of increased pressure on the brain, increased intracranial pressure, the following, nausea, vomiting, unilateral, one side only, dilated pupil, see eyes, pupils different size, lethargy, sleepiness, most useful, sensitive, specific, test to identify acoustic neuromas, mri, the head, useful tests, diagnose acoustic neuroma, to differentiate it from other causes, dizziness, vertigo, head ct, audiology, a test, hearing, caloric stimulation, a test, vertigo, electronystagmography, a test of equilibrium, balance, brainstem auditory evoked response, baer, a test of hearing, brainstem function, surgery, goals of surgical treatment, removal, the tumor, prevention of facial paralysis, preservation of hearing is more difficult, a tumor is removed, it is very small, hearing preserved, hearing that is lost, prior to surgery, not be regained, large tumors, result in total loss of hearing on the affected side, large tumors, compress nerves important, facial movement, sensation, tumors, safely removed, the surgery often results in paralysis of some facial muscles, extremely large tumors, additionally compress the brainstem, threatening other cranial nerves, preventing the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid, lead to a build-up of fluid, in the head, hydrocephalus, cause potentially life-threatening increased intracranial pressure, goals of surgery in these cases, the hydrocephalus, decompression, the brainstem, stereotactic radiosurgery, goal of radiation therapy, stop the tumor growth, not to cure, remove the tumor, radiosurgery, performed in elderly, sick patients who, unable to tolerate brain surgery, brain surgery to treat acoustic neuromas, the tumor, safely removed, residual tumor must be left behind, radiosurgery, used post-operatively to treat residual tumor in these cases, radiosurgery is only appropriate, small tumors, that radiation damage to surrounding tissues, minimized, brain surgery, radiosurgery, result in facial paralysis, loss of hearing, observation, tumors, grow very slowly, small tumors, minimal, no symptoms, asymptomatic, safely observed, regular mri scans, left untreated, they grow dangerously, very often elderly patients, die of other natural causes, slow growing tumors, become symptomatic, acoustic neuromas, benign, noncancerous, not spread, metastasize, to other body systems, continue to grow, compress vital structures, the skull, brain surgery results in complete removal, the tumor in greater than 95% of cases, a less than 1% mortality, 95% of patients, small tumors, have no permanent facial paralysis following surgery, roughly two-thirds of patients, large tumors, have some permanent facial weakness following surgery, one half of patients, small tumors, retain useful hearing, in the affected ear following surgery, delayed radiation effects following radiosurgery, nerve damage, loss of hearing, facial paralysis, experience new, worsening hearing loss, vertigo, dizziness.