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How Vestibular Schwannomas Can Cause Vertigo Issues
Vertigo is a very unpleasant condition to suffer from. The word is often incorrectly defined as meaning a fear of heights (the correct term for this is acrophobia). Instead, it is a medical condition that affects balance and can lead to severe dizziness and nausea.
The origin of the condition will be found in the inner ear, for this organ does not just help with hearing, but with balance.
Specifically, the vestibular apparatus carries out this function, lying alongside the cochlear (which is crucial for hearing) in an area known as the labyrinth. Any disorder of the vestibular system can lead to some significant issues, including vertigo.
Various causes of vertigo are possible, depending on which part of the vestibular system is affected and what by.
Head and brain injuries, migraines, ear infections such as labyrinthitis, Menier’s disease (which involves a build-up of fluid), multiple sclerosis and stress are all among them. Some will be temporary, while others need treatment.
The vestibular nerve is of particular significance because it connects the ear to the brain, so the schwannoma affects the transmission of signals. If it grows to a particular size, it can also press on the brain and affect vital functions, although this is rare.
However, long before that point, it can have severe effects on patients by causing persistent vertigo.
A reason for vestibular schwannomas rarely becoming large enough to adversely affect the brain itself is the slow rate at which they grow. This is characteristic of benign tumours and when they first appear, they will be asymptomatic. For this reason, the tumour may be present in the inner ear for an extended period before symptoms start to show.
Other symptoms may also arise as the tumour grows. These include tinnitus as it presses against the cochlear nerve, hearing loss, which is usually gradual but occasionally sudden, and facial numbness. Loss of muscle movement can also happen, but this is rare.
Much will depend on the size of the tumour. It can grow to a significant size before symptoms appear, as the organs around it can adjust slightly. Once space to do so is no longer available, however, compression will start and symptoms can manifest themselves very quickly.
Nonetheless, that does mean that continuing to monitor the tumour is an option if it is detected in the asymptomatic stage, although this will be a time-limited situation and usually, action will eventually be needed.
The two main options for intervention are surgery and the use of radiotherapy, the second of which is our specialist area.
A significant risk factor of surgery is that, in removing the tumour, damage will be done to the vestibular nerve itself, which can have a negative impact on hearing and the movement of facial muscles, with total loss of function in the worst cases.
However, advances in surgical instrumentation and techniques, as well as better scanning technology to detect growing tumours sooner, have both led to better outcomes for 21st-century patients undergoing surgery.
This treatment is usually favoured for smaller tumours, which can be shrunk to a manageable size more easily, reaching the point where they are no longer placing pressure on nerves and organs and therefore leaving the patient free of symptoms. This avoids the greater risks of loss of nerve, muscle and hearing function associated with surgery.
By meeting with our specialists, you can be examined and discuss what the best treatment options are for you. This may involve taking a different approach to that taken in previous (and unsuccessful) treatments, opening up a potential new avenue to relieve of your symptoms.
Because it has such a significant impact on everyday functioning, vertigo is not a condition that can simply be managed. For those facing it as a chronic and potentially worsening condition caused by a vestibular schwannoma, it is important not to suffer but to seek a lasting solution.
Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for vestibular schwannomas on the Queen Square website.
The origin of the condition will be found in the inner ear, for this organ does not just help with hearing, but with balance.
Specifically, the vestibular apparatus carries out this function, lying alongside the cochlear (which is crucial for hearing) in an area known as the labyrinth. Any disorder of the vestibular system can lead to some significant issues, including vertigo.
Various causes of vertigo are possible, depending on which part of the vestibular system is affected and what by.
Head and brain injuries, migraines, ear infections such as labyrinthitis, Menier’s disease (which involves a build-up of fluid), multiple sclerosis and stress are all among them. Some will be temporary, while others need treatment.
What Is A Vestibular Schwannoma?
A vestibular schwannoma comes into the latter category. This is a kind of tumour, and although it is benign (non-cancerous), it can cause severe vertigo. The reason is that it forms out of the Schwann cells that cover the vestibular nerve in the inner ear and, as it grows, its effects become more pronounced.The vestibular nerve is of particular significance because it connects the ear to the brain, so the schwannoma affects the transmission of signals. If it grows to a particular size, it can also press on the brain and affect vital functions, although this is rare.
However, long before that point, it can have severe effects on patients by causing persistent vertigo.
A reason for vestibular schwannomas rarely becoming large enough to adversely affect the brain itself is the slow rate at which they grow. This is characteristic of benign tumours and when they first appear, they will be asymptomatic. For this reason, the tumour may be present in the inner ear for an extended period before symptoms start to show.
Other symptoms may also arise as the tumour grows. These include tinnitus as it presses against the cochlear nerve, hearing loss, which is usually gradual but occasionally sudden, and facial numbness. Loss of muscle movement can also happen, but this is rare.
Treatment Options
If you have been suffering from vertigo and perhaps other ear problems, it may be that examination has revealed you have a vestibular schwannoma. The question at this point is how to treat it.Much will depend on the size of the tumour. It can grow to a significant size before symptoms appear, as the organs around it can adjust slightly. Once space to do so is no longer available, however, compression will start and symptoms can manifest themselves very quickly.
Nonetheless, that does mean that continuing to monitor the tumour is an option if it is detected in the asymptomatic stage, although this will be a time-limited situation and usually, action will eventually be needed.
The two main options for intervention are surgery and the use of radiotherapy, the second of which is our specialist area.
A significant risk factor of surgery is that, in removing the tumour, damage will be done to the vestibular nerve itself, which can have a negative impact on hearing and the movement of facial muscles, with total loss of function in the worst cases.
However, advances in surgical instrumentation and techniques, as well as better scanning technology to detect growing tumours sooner, have both led to better outcomes for 21st-century patients undergoing surgery.
Why Radiosurgery May Be The Right Option
If physical surgery has improved, so too has radiosurgery, with stereotactic radiosurgery in particular enabling beams of radiation to be directed with ever greater precision, minimising harm to any surrounding tissue.This treatment is usually favoured for smaller tumours, which can be shrunk to a manageable size more easily, reaching the point where they are no longer placing pressure on nerves and organs and therefore leaving the patient free of symptoms. This avoids the greater risks of loss of nerve, muscle and hearing function associated with surgery.
By meeting with our specialists, you can be examined and discuss what the best treatment options are for you. This may involve taking a different approach to that taken in previous (and unsuccessful) treatments, opening up a potential new avenue to relieve of your symptoms.
Because it has such a significant impact on everyday functioning, vertigo is not a condition that can simply be managed. For those facing it as a chronic and potentially worsening condition caused by a vestibular schwannoma, it is important not to suffer but to seek a lasting solution.
Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for vestibular schwannomas on the Queen Square website.
