The symptoms of an acoustic neuroma can affect your day-to-life, but more serious complications are rare. See Acoustic neuroma - treatment for the complications that may arise following surgery.
Coping with your symptoms
Some of the symptoms of an acoustic neuroma can be difficult to live with and may affect your quality of life. For example, if your hearing is impaired, you may find your job is affected and communication may be more difficult. Severe dizziness and loss of balance may also affect your job and limit the types of activities that you can perform.
Speak to your GP or specialist if your acoustic neuroma is being monitored but you feel that the symptoms are significantly affecting your daily life. There may be ways of easing your symptoms, such as hearing aids or painkilling medication, or they may indicate that you need treatment to remove the tumour.
You can find more information in the Health A-Z about how to treat some of the problems that are associated with acoustic neuroma. For example:
- hearing loss may be treated with hearing aids - see Hearing impairment - treatment for more information
- tinnitus (the perception of noise in one ear or both ears, or in your head) can be treated with a number of different therapies - see Tinnitus - treatment for more information
Recurrence
It is possible for an acoustic neuroma to return after being removed. The tumour reoccurs in less than 5 in every 100 people.
Hydrocephalus
One of the most serious complications of acoustic neuroma is a condition known as hydrocephalus.
Hydrocephalus occurs when an acoustic neuroma is very large and presses on your brainstem (the lowest part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord). This prevents the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that protects your brain and spinal cord from flowing between your brain and spinal cord. This blockage can cause pressure to build up inside your skull which, in turn, puts pressure on the delicate tissues in your brain.
Hydrocephalus can be treated by draining away the excess CSF. It is important that this condition is treated quickly because in severe cases it can cause brain damage. In rare instances, it can be fatal.
See the Health A-Z topic about Hydrocephalus for more information about this condition.
