DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma last year after I went to the doctor due to more frequent headaches. I read that surgery often is needed for these tumors, but my physician said I did not need to be treated. He suggested we reevaluate after imaging in a few months. Why would I not need to be treated?
ANSWER: An acoustic neuroma, more accurately called a vestibular schwannoma, is a relatively uncommon and benign tumor that grows on the balance, or vestibular, nerve. This nerve twines together with the hearing nerve and runs from your inner ear to your brain.
The tumor usually is diagnosed with imaging, such as an MRI, that is often performed because a patient noticed hearing loss in one ear. With improvements in technology and imaging availability, tumors are being diagnosed when they are smaller and causing fewer, if any, symptoms.
