Acoustic neuroma or vestibular schwannoma is a tumour (non-cancerous) that develops on the eight cranial nerve that leads from your inner ear to the brain.It may occur in one or both ears. Best ENT specialists in India are globally renowned for treatment of this medical condition. According to them, acoustic neuroma affects the nerves that are responsible for hearing and balance and thus causes problems like ringing in the ear or dizziness and hearing loss.
Diagnosis and treatment of vestibular schwannoma is essential to avoid more severe conditions like interference with the functioning of face sensation nerve, causing facial numbness or facial weakness and eventually paralysis on the side where tumour has grown.
Your search for a good ENT doctor in Delhi for helping you save yourself from ending up in the above situation is over as we have a team of highly specialised experts who have successfully treated patients with acoustic neuroma.
How to recognise the symptoms of acoustic neuroma?
When you reach out to one of the best ENT specialist in India, he would ask you for the following symptoms to be able to plan further treatment line:
- Hearing loss in the affected side.
- Tinnitus (feeling of ringing or buzzing in the ear).
- Dizziness.
- Difficulty in balancing.
- Facial weakness or numbness.
Besides these symptoms, few hearing tests and an MRI scan will help in diagnosing the tumour.
Treatment of Acoustic Neuroma
ENT doctor in Delhi may use one of the following treatment methods for helping you get relief from the above symptoms:
Surgical Removal of the tumour:
This treatment option is adopted when the tumour size is too large. It is the last option as there are higher chances of hearing loss in the ear where tumour has grown. If the tumour is on both the sides, operation for one is done first and based on the outcomes and hearing ability of this ear, your doctor will go ahead with the surgical removal of tumour on the other side. Post-surgery you will see a physiotherapist who will provide training for some exercises and massage to help you recover faster.
Radiation Therapy:
Radiosurgery or stereotactic radiotherapy is a preferable technique for treating acoustic neuroma, particularly for those patients who have otherwise poor general health, or those who are old age or those who have tumours affecting both the ears. During the radiotherapy treatment, your doctor will use high-energy radiations to destroy or shrink the tumour cells and stop them from growing further. Stereotactic radiotherapy uses radiations in a way that high doses of rays reach the tumour, while the surrounding healthy tissues receive only insignificant number of rays. This helps in avoiding side effects of treatment.
Observation and Monitoring:
If the tumour is too small and not growing further, it is advisable to observe and closely monitor the tumour for any further growth. Monitoring is done through MRI scans at certain interval suggested by your treating doctor. You should also keep a watch on the symptoms that affect your hearing ability and immediately inform your doctor regarding the same.
