Any difference?

[LisaBod]

Hello

I was diagnosed with a AN in 2011 and told growth would be so slow, I’d probably never need surgery. I had annual MRI’s to monitor it. In 2012 I was told I needed Gamma knife and had it in July (2 months after consultant appointment). Yearly scans since then at my scan this year I was told it had grown and I had the option again (since 5 years) has passed for the gamma knife again. This time the consultant (a different one, first I was under an ENT guy now my consultant is a neurosurgeon) calls my tumour a vestibule schwannona now instead of an acoustic neuroma. What’s the difference? Thank you for taking the time to read and hopefully reply

[mcblue]

Hi there is no difference as far as I am aware just another medical term for acoustic neuroma because it stems from the schwannona cells.

[LisaBod in reply to mcblue]

That’s what I thought and it seemed to be the same when I googled but I thought I’d double check in here, as I’d seen a comment about them being difference. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply

[Kkk7]

Hello it's same...after gammaknife growth stopped are you doing MRI anually and what was AN size

[Kristyll]

An AN is now officially just the same but re named Vestibular Schwannoma. Speak to someone who does the actual surgery also and get their treatment opinion. Good luck x

[drdeanbellavia]

LisaBod:

DEFINITIONS: A schwannoma is a proliferation of schwann cells that surround a nerve. An acoustic neuroma (AN) is the proliferation of schwann cells around the 8th cranial nerve, anywhere along that nerve. An vastibular schwannoma (VS) is an AN that is in the narrow bony vestibule between the brain and inner ear. A vestibular schwannoma IS an AN, but an AN is not a vastibular schwannoma if it is not within that bony vestibule.

The important thing to know about a VS is that even if it grows a little, it can quickly fill that narrow bony vestibule and crush the nerve and blood supply, essentially killing that inner ear.

I had a VS that gave me mild balance problems for about a year and then within a month I went from perfect hearing in that ear to none, accompanied by sever balance problems. I wish I had known about VS before it was too late.

CAUTION: Not all operators of a gamma-knife machine are equal, some kill the AN/VS effectively and some operators miss some of the AN. They messed up the first attempt on my VS and had to reset the head brace, retake the positioning MRI, and reset the GK machine to get it right, which they did.

Dean

[LisaBod]

Thank

You Dean for your reply. I hope all

Is well with you now

[drdeanbellavia]

Yes thank you, 17 years later only some balance problems which I resolve monthly with my cerebellar-resetting exercises. Of course the tinnitus is always there, but got use to it.

You should address this VS as soon as possible before it grows too large and destroys the innervation and blood supply to your inner ear; take that from experience.