ANA Discussion Forum

Archive => Archives => Topic started by: Patti on January 27, 2006, 09:32:25 am

Title: Is CAT scan enough?
Post by: Patti on January 27, 2006, 09:32:25 am

Hey all- I had a ver large AN 5 years ago with all its complications.  My sister has had persistant dizziness/vertigo for a month now.  She had a CAT scan and it came back normal.  Is that an effective enough tool to discover a tumor?  Patti

Title: Re: Is CAT scan enough?
Post by: Crazycat on January 27, 2006, 10:07:14 am

Not sure. I know that when you get an M.R.I., there is a certain dye that they inject in to you
that shows any tumescent growth as appearing white. I have noticed that the MRI  is THE recommended diagnostic tool the more I've read. Check out the Acoustic Neuroma Association of New Jersey's site under symptoms and diagnosis : click on the link: http://www.ananj.org/Diagnosis_Acoustic_Neuroma_Tumors.shtm

  Hope this helps,          Paul

Title: Re: Is CAT scan enough?
Post by: Kathleen_Mc on January 27, 2006, 05:10:22 pm

Patti: It is my understanding that a C.A.T. scan is not able to detect "small A.N.'s " and therefor the M.R.I. is what should be used. I myself was only followed up with CAT's for a number of years post-op and was always told there was no sign of tumor regrowth and then 7 years post-op I had an MRI for another reason and low and behold there was a small tumor regrowth that had not been showing on the CAT's. CAT scan will show a large tumor (my orginal showed on the CAT but it was so big it was life threatening). I would say the MRI is what needs to be used to catch these when they are really small and confined to the auditory canal. I don't think the CAT scanner can show anything in the inner ear at all but I may be wrong about that. Kathleen

Title: Re: Is CAT scan enough?
Post by: cookiesecond on January 27, 2006, 09:50:08 pm

Patti,
I had a cat scan and it did not show the An. Then I had a MRI and it showed a 3cm An.?
Lynn

Title: Re: Is CAT scan enough?
Post by: pkrier on January 28, 2006, 07:34:48 am

Dear Patti,
I had two cat scans at a my local clinic over a 14 yr period because I was to young to be losing my hearing and it never showed the tumor growing. I asked my local doctor why, he said, MRI are the only way to see the tumor. It's up to you but MRI found my 2.4 cm tumor.
From Patti K
Rochester,MN

Title: Re: Is CAT scan enough?
Post by: julie on January 28, 2006, 10:48:05 am

hi!  just wanted to say you should have your sister insist on an MRI.  I woke up one day with vertigo.  The doctor initially thought is was Benign Positional Vertigo which is a fancy way of saying a minute calcium stone that is in the inner ear causing dizziness.  But, for some reason she decided to send me for an MRI (probably being extra careful because my husband is an attorney) but, that was good, since they found my very small AN.  I subsequently had FSR, and now it is all good--no symptoms other than a slight hearing loss and tinnitus that i had before that.  best wishes...