Therapy
The operation of an acoustic neuroma is one possible therapy option. Tumours located in the inner ear canal can also be removed. If the hearing function is still intact, an attempt is made to preserve it.
In this case, the skull is opened from the side via the os temporale (temporal bone) – the transtemporal access. This route carries risk potential because parts of the facial nerve are exposed and possibly damaged. If the patient has already lost hearing on the affected side, surgery is performed directly over the ear.
In this case, a translabyrinthine operation is performed in which the inner ear is completely removed during the course of the operation. This access route reduces the risk of damaging other nerves. For very large tumors that have grown into the cerebellar bridge angle, suboccipital surgery is performed.
The bone behind the ear is cut open and an access route into the cranial cavity is created through which the surgeon can remove the tumor. In this way it is possible to preserve the hearing function.
