Prognosis (! !tated ?efore, a reat dea% of care i! directed to pre!erve hearin durin !ur er/.

Ho4ever the %ocation and !hape of the tumor have an effect on 3ua%it/ of hearin after !ur e/. :tati!tic! !ho4 u! that 80@ of the time hearin i! either fu%%/ or partia%%/ pre!erved. :tati!tic! have a%!o !ho4n that %o4 do!e! of coch%ear radiation have pre!erved hearin ?etter than other radiation treatment! ("). Ho4ever, in !ome ca!e!, hearin i! %o!t in the ear containin the acoutic neuroma. =an/ patient! function fine 4ith uni%atera% hearin . Rare%/, patient! 4i%% re3ue!t to recieve a coch%ear imp%ant in the affected ear (1).

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>f /ou 4ou%d %i&e to find out more information a?out acou!tic neuroma!, ho4 to pic& a ph/!ician, and !ur ica% previe4!, vi!it the(cou!tic 9euroma (!!ociation on%ine at 444.anau!a.or . >f /ou or !omeone /ou &no4 i! dia no!ed 4ith an acou!tic neuroma, /ou can et free con!u%tation! from the %eadin c%inic for acou!tic neuroma! and other ear di!order! at the Hou!e 8ar *%inic in ,o! (n e%u!, *a%ifornia. *on!u%tation! can ?e done ?/ te%ephone.

AcoUstic Neuroma
Not your ordinary tumor

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(1) Hain, T. (2008, June 10). Acoustic neuroma. Retrieved from http://americanhearin .or /di!order!/acou!tic-neuroma/ (2) Acoustic neuroma association. (2008, June). Retrieved from http://anau!a.or / (") #ano, H. H., #ond$io%&a, '. '., #han, (. (., )%ic&in er, J. *. J. *., + ,un!ford, ,. '. (200-). .redictor! of hearin pre!ervation after !tereotactic radio!ur er/ for acou!tic neuroma. Journal of Neurosurgery, 111(0), 81"-82". http://!earch.pro3ue!t.com/docvie4/1212185-6accountid7 1"158

L isa C atanoso

What is an acoustic neuroma? (n acou!tic neuroma i! a rare t/pe of tumor, u!ua%%/ ma%i nant, that deve%op! on the 8th crania% nerve, ca%%ed the ve!ti?u%ar-coch%ear nerve. The cau!e for the!e tumor! i! !poradic (1).

Treatment There are 3uite a fe4 option! for treatment of an acou!tic neuroma. 'ependin on the !i$e and the ro4th rate of the tumor, !ome patient! tend to 4atch and 4ait. >f the tumor i! not threatenin %/ %ar e and the patient! hearin i! !ti%% !ufficient, the/ 4i%% !ti%% ?e a?%e to o a?out their dai%/ %ive!. =an/ patient! are advi!ed to !ur ica%%/ remove the tumor either partia%%/ or tota%%/. ;hi%e the tumor i! ?ein removed, care i! focu!ed on the facia% nerve. >f o?!tructed, facia% para%/!i! 4i%% occur. (%!o, a reat amount of care i! directed to pre!erve hearin , 4hich i! a%!o at ri!& in the ear 4here !ur er/ i! ta&in p%ace. Radiation therap/ i! another option for patient! 4ith an acou!tic neuroma!. :ma%% amount! of radiation ?eam! are !hot into the !ite of the tumor. Radiation therap/ i! primari%/ u!ed for tumor contro%. That i!, !%o4in the ro4th of the tumor or decrea!in it! !i$e over time. >t i! important to note that each patient ha! a different treatment eAperience. >t i! up to the patient and their ph/!ician to determine their cour!e of action (2).

Diagnosis Routine auditor/ te!t!, !peech di!crimination te!t!, and audio ram! !hou%d ?e done on the patient to ?e in the dia no!i! of a hearin di!order !uch a! an acou!tic neuroma. >rre u%ar outcome! to the!e te!t! invo%ve further inve!ti ation, u!ua%%/ %eadin to an =R> (=a netic Re!onance >ma in ). (cou!tic neuroma! are mo!t ea!i%/ identifia?%e throu h an =R> !can. Thi! i! ?ecau!e the !i$e, !hape, and 4herea?out! of the tumor are c%ear%/ defined. >n !ome ca!e!, and auditor/ ?rain!tem re!pon!e te!t ma/ ?e admini!tered. Thi! te!t trac&! e%ectrica% impu%!e! in the ?rain!tem path4a/! from the inner ear. Becau!e the acou!tic neuroma !it! on a crania% nerve, it can !ometime! interrupt the e%ectrica% impu%!e! that the ?rain produce!. Therefore 4hen te!t! re!u%t! return a?norma%, it i! inferred that there i! a tumor 4ithin the auditor/ cana% (2).

Symptoms The mo!t common !/mptom i! one !ided hearin %o!! in mo!t patient!. Thi! i! u!ua%%/ accompanied 4ith tinnitu!, a rin in in the ear!. <ther !/mptom! can ari!e dependin on the !i$e of the tumor. :ma%%er tumor! can %ead patient! to eAperience verti o, and un!teadine!!. .atient! 4ith %ar er tumor! eAperience facia% 4ea&ne!! or t4itchin , and con!tant headache! (1).