Acoustic neuroma treatments can include observation for these slow growing benign tumors, surgical removal, and radiation therapy. A suboccipital craniectomy is named after the location of the incision — under (sub) the occipital bone (found at the base of the skull) — to access the acoustic neuroma (may be a vestibular schwannoma).

Are You a Candidate for Suboccipital Craniectomy for Acoustic Neuroma?

A neurosurgeon who is experienced in acoustic neuroma surgery can provide a detailed analysis of your treatment options and whether surgical removal with or without radiotherapy are good options for you. Some factors that your doctor will consider include:

• The size of your acoustic neuroma. Larger tumors are more likely to be causing symptoms and debulking of the tumor may be the best way to provide symptom relief.
• Desire to keep hearing in the affected ear. Other surgeries that use other entryways into the skull have a higher risk of damaging the acoustic nerve.

What Is an Acoustic Neuroma?

Acoustic neuromas are also called vestibular schwannomas and consist of Schwann cells that develop around the acoustic nerve. It is a benign tumor.

What Conditions Does Suboccipital Craniectomy Treat?

3 types of surgical procedures are employed to remove acoustic neuromas: suboccipital (retrosigmoid), translabyrinthine, and middle fossa.

A suboccipital craniectomy is a surgery that removes a small piece of the skull found. Suboccipital craniectomies can be performed to decompress cranial nerves to treat facial pain such as

• Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia
• Trigeminal Neuralgia
  Or to remove vestibular schwannomas on the eighth cranial nerve.

Determining whether a minimally invasive endoscopic tumor removal is the right procedure for your acoustic neuroma requires expert evaluation by an experienced neurosurgeon. Our award-winning doctors are part of a multidisciplinary team who stay at the forefront of medical advancements in treatments of brain tumors and other rare or complex brain conditions.

Advanced Treatments for Acoustic Neuroma at NSPC

Our Long Island and New York area medical centers provide experienced care and treatment of brain tumors. Contact us to talk with an expert neurosurgeon about your options.

In this video, Dr. Brisman addresses some of the anxiety you may have about an acoustic neuroma diagnosis.

We offer minimally-invasive, neurosurgical procedures for a number of conditions that were previously considered inoperable.