Acoustic Neuroma Diagnosis

Acoustic neuromas are rare tumors, so diagnosing them may be difficult. MD Anderson has specialists with extensive experience in acoustic neuroma diagnosis and specialty services offering care from a dedicated, multidisciplinary acoustic neuroma team.

If you have symptoms that may signal acoustic neuroma, your doctor will examine you and ask you questions about your health. Hearing loss is the most common symptom of acoustic neuroma and may be discovered during routine hearing tests. Tinnitus in one ear should also be evaluated with a hearing test.

If unilateral hearing loss or tinnitus happens, then patients should undergo an audiogram to evaluate the hearing in both ears. Hearing loss in one ear should trigger further testing, usually with an MRI scan. The audiogram gives important information about the degree of hearing loss and the amount of word understanding. These pieces of information are important for treatment planning.

Acoustic neuromas are diagnosed with MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans. The MRI scan will be done with an intravenous contrast agent. The contrast agent is needed to make the tumor stand out prominently from the surrounding nerve and brain tissues.