The vestibular (balance) nerve

Our balance system is very complicated and involves multiple components of our body including our inner ears, our brain balance system, our eyes, and our ability to feel our surroundings, among other things. Acoustic Neuroma most commonly originate from the balance nerve that carries critical information from our inner ear balance system to the brain where the information is processed. Often, patients with Acoustic Neuroma have dizziness or disequilibrium, though others have compensated for the imbalance caused by the tumor and do not notice many balance symptoms.

As the tumor originates from the vestibular nerve, removing the tumor requires resecting the nerve along with the tumor. This vestibular nerve is intimately associated with the cochlear (hearing) nerve as well as the facial nerve. Thus, it is of critical importance that the vestibular nerve be identified and separated from the other nerves. Patients may experience dizziness and disequilibrium after Acoustic Neuroma is treated. The amount of vestibular symptoms after resection of the tumor is variable, depending on how much nerve function had been damaged by the tumor itself.