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The Common Link Between Acoustic Neuroma And Vertigo
A common misconception of vertigo is that it is all about a fear of heights, a sense of dizziness induced by being in a very exposed place. The correct term for the fear of heights is acrophobia, while vertigo is, in fact, a medical condition that can affect you anywhere, no matter how level and firm the ground beneath your feet is.
As sufferers will know, vertigo involves dizziness and a sense of spinning, even when there is no external cause for this. The problem derives from the balance sensors in the ear being disrupted, which can happen in many different ways.
The symptoms can also include nausea and vomiting, as well as hearing problems and tinnitus, headaches and motion sickness.
Because this is a sensitive area with many different moving parts and connected nerves, bones and tissue, there are lots of possible causes. Some are located more in the ear itself, such as Meniere’s disease. If that is the case, it is an audiologist, not a radiologist unit, who you would go to see for diagnosis and treatment.
While the tumour itself is non-cancerous and will usually not bring wider health consequences, the impact of it pressing on the vestibular nerve can be severe. This nerve links the inner ear with the brain and because branches of it are linked to balance sensors in the ear, any disruption of this can cause balance problems and vertigo.
Acoustic neuromas are sometimes known as vestibular schwannomas because they develop in the Schwann cells that cover the vestibular nerve. Like many other benign tumours, they are slow-growing and it may be that for a long time, they cause little or no trouble.
However, as they grow, they can press on the vestibular nerve and cause vertigo, alongside associated symptoms such as tinnitus, hearing loss and, occasionally, a loss of feeling in the face. If allowed to grow larger, they can occasionally reach such proportions as to press on the brain and affect other functions.
However, once it grows to a size where it starts to press on the vestibular nerve and cause symptoms such as vertigo, the tumour will need more significant intervention.
An obvious step is to carry out surgery to cut out the tumour. This is usually successful, and tumours seldom regrow, but it does come with a common loss of hearing.
Other potential problems can include facial paralysis (which may depend on the size of the tumour) and, as a corollary of this, problems closing the eye on the affected side. Other possible problems (like a stroke or meningitis) are very rare or temporary, such as dizziness or double vision.
The use of radiotherapy offers an alternative approach. This can effectively shrink the tumour, delaying the need for surgery or avoiding it altogether. This also comes with a lower risk of the neurological consequences associated with surgery. However, consequences such as numbness or hearing loss cannot be ruled out.
This is the form of radiotherapy that is most precisely focused on a particular part of the body. Tumours in or around the head and brain are a prime focus for this because of the medical consequences of hitting adjacent areas of the brain, nerves or other sensitive tissue with radiation.
Among the methods this can be delivered is the gamma knife, which is designed for very precise deliveries of high levels of radiation transmitted by powerful beams. This has long been used for brain tumours, but its 1960s inventor, Lars Leksell, originally devised it for treating neurological conditions.
This means the gamma knife is ideal for a tumour that lies close to the brain but not in it when treating the cause of a problem like vertigo that is so often neurological in origin.
Vertigo is a condition nobody can ignore. If it is caused by an acoustic neuroma, we have some very effective ways of treating it that can greatly improve your quality of life.
Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for acoustic neuroma on the Queen Square website.
As sufferers will know, vertigo involves dizziness and a sense of spinning, even when there is no external cause for this. The problem derives from the balance sensors in the ear being disrupted, which can happen in many different ways.
The symptoms can also include nausea and vomiting, as well as hearing problems and tinnitus, headaches and motion sickness.
Because this is a sensitive area with many different moving parts and connected nerves, bones and tissue, there are lots of possible causes. Some are located more in the ear itself, such as Meniere’s disease. If that is the case, it is an audiologist, not a radiologist unit, who you would go to see for diagnosis and treatment.
How Acoustic Neuroma Can Cause Vertigo
In some cases, there is a neurological issue underlying the cause, such as multiple sclerosis or a stroke. However, it can often be caused by an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumour that presses against the vestibular nerve.While the tumour itself is non-cancerous and will usually not bring wider health consequences, the impact of it pressing on the vestibular nerve can be severe. This nerve links the inner ear with the brain and because branches of it are linked to balance sensors in the ear, any disruption of this can cause balance problems and vertigo.
Acoustic neuromas are sometimes known as vestibular schwannomas because they develop in the Schwann cells that cover the vestibular nerve. Like many other benign tumours, they are slow-growing and it may be that for a long time, they cause little or no trouble.
However, as they grow, they can press on the vestibular nerve and cause vertigo, alongside associated symptoms such as tinnitus, hearing loss and, occasionally, a loss of feeling in the face. If allowed to grow larger, they can occasionally reach such proportions as to press on the brain and affect other functions.
Treatment Options For Acoustic Neuroma
The question, therefore, is what to do about such a tumour. There are several options. Monitoring is an option if the tumour has been identified but is not yet causing significant symptoms. It may be that it is some time before any intervention is necessary because it grows so slowly.However, once it grows to a size where it starts to press on the vestibular nerve and cause symptoms such as vertigo, the tumour will need more significant intervention.
An obvious step is to carry out surgery to cut out the tumour. This is usually successful, and tumours seldom regrow, but it does come with a common loss of hearing.
Other potential problems can include facial paralysis (which may depend on the size of the tumour) and, as a corollary of this, problems closing the eye on the affected side. Other possible problems (like a stroke or meningitis) are very rare or temporary, such as dizziness or double vision.
The use of radiotherapy offers an alternative approach. This can effectively shrink the tumour, delaying the need for surgery or avoiding it altogether. This also comes with a lower risk of the neurological consequences associated with surgery. However, consequences such as numbness or hearing loss cannot be ruled out.
The Importance Of Stereotactic Radiotherapy
We use the very latest and most advanced radiotherapy treatments to maximise the benefits of tumour shrinkage and minimise the risks. This is commonly achieved through the use of stereotactic radiotherapy.This is the form of radiotherapy that is most precisely focused on a particular part of the body. Tumours in or around the head and brain are a prime focus for this because of the medical consequences of hitting adjacent areas of the brain, nerves or other sensitive tissue with radiation.
Among the methods this can be delivered is the gamma knife, which is designed for very precise deliveries of high levels of radiation transmitted by powerful beams. This has long been used for brain tumours, but its 1960s inventor, Lars Leksell, originally devised it for treating neurological conditions.
This means the gamma knife is ideal for a tumour that lies close to the brain but not in it when treating the cause of a problem like vertigo that is so often neurological in origin.
Vertigo is a condition nobody can ignore. If it is caused by an acoustic neuroma, we have some very effective ways of treating it that can greatly improve your quality of life.
Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for acoustic neuroma on the Queen Square website.
