General Medical Information

Acoustic Neuroma

Frank E. Lucente
Samir Shah
Roger Kula

Acoustic neuroma originates along the vestibular nerve. Two percent of intracranial tumors are acoustic neuroma. Vertigo with or without tinnitus usually is the first symptom, and recurrent episodes presumed to be benign can occur. The patient later has hearing loss, ipsilateral corneal hypesthesia, and incoordination of cerebellar origin. Late in the course of acoustic neuroma, ipsilateral facial paresis develops. Because the tumors are most frequently on the vestibular portion of cranial nerve VIII, canal paresis with caloric testing is an early finding.