ACOUSTIC
|
Pertaining to hearing. |
ACOUSTIC NEUROMA
|
Benign tumor of the eighth cranial nerve. |
AUDIOGRAM
|
A chart of hearing acuity recorded during hearing tests. |
BENIGN
|
Not malignant - does not spread to other parts of the body. |
BILATERAL
|
Pertaining to both sides of the body. |
BRAINSTEM
|
Connects the upper brain to the spinal cord - less than three inches (7.6 cm) long (The pons is one part of the brainstem.) |
CENTIMETER (cm)
|
.394 inch (2.54 cm equals one inch) - Ten millimeters equal one centimeter. |
CEREBELLOPONTINE ANGLE
|
Space bounded by the petrous bone, brainstem, and cerebellum, and through which cranial nerves six (VI), seven (VII), eight (VIII), nine (IX), ten (X) and eleven (XI) pass. |
CEREBELLUM
|
Located behind the brainstem, extending from the brainstem out toward each mastoid bone. It carries 11% of the brain's weight and controls muscular coordination. |
CRANIAL NERVES
|
The cranial nerves control the sensory and muscle functions around the eyes, face and throat. There are two sets each of twelve cranial nerves. Each set involves one side of the body. |
CROS HEARING AID
|
Contralateral Routing of Sound - A CROS aid is used with one-sided deafness. It receives sound on the deaf side, amplifies it, and carries it to the good ear. |
CSF (cerebrospinal fluid)
|
A watery fluid, continuously being produced and absorbed, which flows in the ventricles (cavities) within the brain and around the surface of the brain and spinal cord. |
CT SCAN (Computerized tomography)
|
A special X-ray test which creates a cross-sectional picture of any part of the body. This X-ray can distinguish among tissue, fluid, fat, and bone, and, after intravenous injection of a dye, will show an acoustic neuroma unless the tumor is very small. |
FSR (Fractionated Stereotactic Radiation)
|
Fractionated stereotactic radiation refers to any focused radiation treatment that requires more than one treatment delivery session. Several different dosing schedules are available. |
GADOLINIUM
|
A contrast material given at the time of MRI which concentrates in the tumor and makes it more visible. |
GAMMA KNIFE
|
The Gamma Knife is a radiosurgical machine that contains 201 separate radioactive cobalt sources. The radiation beams from each source (gamma rays) are focused together at the tumor. |
LINAC
|
Linear accelerator is a radiosurgical machine that produces radiation electronically. These radiation beams are called X-rays. LINACs are also commonly used for conventional radiation treatment of tumors elsewhere in the body. |
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)
|
A body imaging system employing a magnet which surrounds the patient. A magnetic field causes small harmless movement of the atoms in the area of the body being studied. A low energy radio wave is then passed through the same area and the small change this imparts to the atoms in the magnetic field causes signals to be emitted which are picked up and analyzed by modern computer technology. An image of the tissue is produced in clear detail. Copies of MRI's are available to patients. |
MIDDLE FOSSA
|
Surgical approach to an acoustic neuroma primarily used for the purpose of hearing preservation. |
NEUROFIBROMATOSIS
|
A familial condition characterized by developmental changes in the nervous system, muscles, bones, and skin - the central form (Neurofibromatosis-NF2) may produce bilateral acoustic neuromas. |
NEUROMA
|
Benign growth originating on a nerve. |
PEACOCK RADIATION
|
The Peacock device is an attachment to the LINAC radiosurgery system that allows complex radiation beam shapes to be generated. |
PONS
|
Located at the base of the brain in front of the cerebellum. This section of the cranium is a mass of nerve tissue which coordinates the activities of the various lobes of the brain. |
POSTERIOR FOSSA
|
The cavity in the back part of the skull which contains the cerebellum, brainstem and cranial nerves 5-12. |
PROTON RADIATION
|
Proton radiation differs from the photon radiation produced by both the Gamma Knife and LINAC systems. Proton beams have a unique physical property that allows them to be sharply focused within a tumor. They are theoretically advantageous for radiosurgery treatment. |
RADIOSURGERY (STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY)
|
A technique based on the principle that a single or fractionated dose of radiation delivered precisely to a small area will arrest or kill the tumor, while minimizing injury to surrounding nerves and brain tissue and/or function. Typically this is performed in a single session. |
RADIOTHERAPY
|
Typically radiation treatment delivered over an extended period of time with multiple doses. |
RETROSIGMOID/SUB-OCCIPITAL
|
Surgical approach to an acoustic neuroma creating an opening in the cranium behind the mastoid part of the ear. |
SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS
|
Deafness caused by failure of the acoustic nerve. |
SHUNT
|
A tube implanted in the cranium to balance the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and used in the treatment of hydrocephalus. |
TINNITUS
|
A noise produced in the inner ear, such as ringing, buzzing, roaring,clicking, etc. |
TRANSLABYRINTHINE
|
Surgical approach to an acoustic neuroma through the mastoid bone and inner ear (labyrinthine). |
UNILATERAL
|
Involving only one side. |
VERTIGO
|
Dizziness - a symptom sometimes caused by an acoustic neuroma. |
VESTIBULAR
|
Associated with the balance system. |
