Likelihood of hearing loss after gamma knife

[SSC14]

Hi All, I’m a 40y/o woman diagnosed with an AN a year ago. I have had a follow up MRI and unfortunately the AN is growing and I’ve been recommended to undergo gamma knife surgery within the next year. I had very mild hearing loss upon diagnosis but surprising it improved and my hearing is technically “normal”. I have been advised to expect some degree of hearing loss after the gamma knife treatment… am interested to hear what impact the gamma knife treatment had on others’ hearing, especially if it was functional before the treatment. Thanks!

[Zhaleh_TBTC Administrator]

Hello, thanks for reaching out. We do have some information on potential side effects of Stereotatic Radiotherapy here: thebraintumourcharity.org/b.... I hope other members may be able to give you some personal perspectives from their own experiences of having the treatment. Warm wishes, Support Team.

[SSC14 in reply to Zhaleh_TBTC]

Thanks so much Zhaleh_TBTC ! I appreciate the info!

[Ukulele21]

I have hearing loss after gamma knife treatment. I had this when I was 73, the chap who did my Gk put it down to my age, which didn’t sit very well with me 😡.

You are a lot younger so you should be okay. Good luck and best wishes xx

[SSC14 in reply to Ukulele21]

Hi Ukulele21 , thanks for sharing 😊 I can imagine how frustrating it must have been to receive that response! I’ve been stewing over it over the past few weeks and have now made peace with the fact that I could lose my hearing. It just takes time to process, I guess. Thanks for the kind wishes too xx

[bypass in reply to SSC14]

Historically Hypo Fractionated Stereotactic Radiosurgery has the best hearing preservation statistics. That is where you receive the total dose split into between 4 and 6 "fractions" two days apart. This is usually given using a Cyber Knife machine but can be given using a standard Linac. This is the treatment I had (by Linac) 25 years ago which preserved my hearing for 12+ years after that at pre-treatment levels. My hearing slowly deteriorated after that BUT I put this down to increasing old age!!! NOTE - I am NOT a Doctor.

[Tlflom]

I have been involved treating with a gamma knife. It is good. I prefer CyberKnife. The ANs were treated successful with this modality. We did not see side effects. The longer you wait the more likely issues can occur because the tumor grows.

[SSC14]

Thanks Tlflom and bypass ! Appreciate the feedback! Just wondering- what are your reasons for preferring cyber knife over gamma knife?

[Tlflom in reply to SSC14]

Gamma requires a halo screwed into your head for most of the day. It is a live radiation source which has to be recalibrated by a medical physicist to take into account for half life immediately before every treatment as the source continues to decay. The more complex proceedure gives greater chance of error. Physicists who are experienced with both prefer cyberknife. A Cyberknife is easier for the patient and uses a non-invasive thermoplastic mask. No live source to decay. The radiation photons come from electrons harvested from electicity. It is as accurate and a less complicated proceedure. This makes for a more comfortable experience for the patient. If I needed it, I would choose cyberknife.