Medical Questions » Nerves Questions » Question No. 724
| Question: | I have been told that my deafness is due to an acoustic neuroma, but my doctor is not treating it. Is this serious? |
| Answer: | This is a benign (not cancerous) tumour of the nerve that transmits sound from the hearing mechanism in the ear to the brain. It can enlarge to put pressure on other nerves and blood vessels in the base of the brain, and can cause a wide variety of symptoms other than deafness and noises in the ear. Poor balance, ear pain and paralysis of part of the face can also occur.
It can be diagnosed by a special type of X-ray known as Computerised Axial Tomography (CAT scan for short) that can show its exact position and size. The only treatment is surgical removal of the tumour. If it is small, the nerve may be saved and hearing restored, but larger tumours will result in permanent hearing loss.
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