Introduction

An acoustic neuroma is atype of non-cancerous (benign) brain tumour. It's also known asa vestibular schwannoma.

Abenign brain tumour is a growth in the brain that usually grows slowly over many years and doesn't spread to other parts of the body.

Acoustic neuromas grow on thenerve used for hearing and balance, which can cause problems such as hearing loss and unsteadiness.

They can sometimes be serious ifthey become very large, but most are pickedupand treated before they reach this stage.

Acoustic neuromastend to affect adults aged 30-60 andusually have no obvious cause, althougha small number of cases arethe result of a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2).

This page covers:

Symptoms of an acoustic neuroma

Getting medical advice

Treatments for acoustic neuromas

Outlook for acoustic neuromas

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 30 Nov 2016