A Revolutionary Treatment for Acoustic Neuroma
The brain is an extraordinarily complex organ, and like any complex system, has a number of things that can go wrong with it. Too much or too little pressure in an area can cause devastating pain; a growth mere millimeters across can compromise major motor functions. Unfortunately, since the brain is so very complicated, treating a problem in it can be an extremely dangerous undertaking.
One particularly involved condition is an acoustic neuroma. Acoustic neuroma is caused by a benign tumor in the brain grows on the eighth cranial nerve. Though the tumors are non-cancerous, they can cause a steady decline in hearing, and if they grow large enough, can cause a severe compression of the brainstem. This can quickly become fatal, since the brain stem controls functions such as breathing, the heart rate, and blood pressure.
Surgery for acoustic neuroma is traditionally very invasive, even by brain surgery tumor removal standards. It typically involves surgeons making a large hole in the skull, usually with a drill, and then going in to retract the brain and remove the tumor. Unfortunately, this procedure is hard on the brain, which is extremely delicate and does not respond well to even extremely delicate handling.
However, there is another procedure rapidly gaining popularity for acoustic neuroma treatment — endoscopic surgery. Instead of drilling a large hole in the skull or removing part of it altogether, the surgeons make a hole about the size of a dime behind the mastoid bone, and then perform the entire surgery through that hole. The brain is not manipulated or retracted, which greatly lowers the possibility of complications, and also speeds up recovery time by days. Most patients can leave the hospital within two days of the surgery, and are back to their normal lives within weeks.
For more information about endoscopic treatment for acoustic neuroma, click here.