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Symptoms of Acoustic Neuroma

When you're diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, that means that a mass has formed along the eighth cranial nerve just outside of your brain, which is a nerve that connects to the inner ear. And though it's considered a brain tumor, this benign growth actually never spreads into the tissue of your brain. Often referred to as a vestibular schwannoma, this noncancerous mass can pose some issues, as a number of its symptoms are frequently problematic.

  1. Asymptomatic

    • For many people with an acoustic neuroma, they may never present any symptoms of a growth at all. It may only make its presence known by way of a routine exam. But unlike malignant tumors, this has nothing to do with its size. Even small growths can cause problems for some people. It's really more about your body's reaction to the mass than the actual size.

    Hearing Loss

    • Due to the location of the neuroma, it is possible to experience some level of hearing loss. Usually, this loss is gradual in nature and may not even be noticed until it has become more pronounced. This may affect one or both ears, and it can disturb one ear more than the other. In some situations, the growth may cause you to suffer from a complete loss of hearing within the affected ear.

    Ringing

    • Another potential symptom of an acoustic neuroma is a ringing or buzzing within the ear. More commonly known as the condition tinnitus, the associated sound is usually located within the ear of the affected eighth cranial nerve. However, you may experience the same noise sensation within the other ear as well.

    Vertigo

    • An acoustic neuroma can also cause the sensation of vertigo, which is essentially the feeling of your environment spinning or tilting around you, even though nothing is moving (including yourself). This often causes you to experience dizziness and lightheadedness as well as a loss of balance or coordination. In some cases, it may cause you to actually fall down or even faint.

    Numbness

    • It is also possible for an acoustic neuroma to cause some level of numbness or loss of sensation. This numbness is usually isolated to the side of the face that is affected with the benign growth. In some situations, the numbness may eventually translate into a facial weakness.

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