Information relating to the treatment and diagnosis of Acoustic Neuroma
The ANA/NJ Directory of Patients and Providers.
This Directory lists patients who have had an acoustic neuroma and are willing to be contacted by phone or email for peer-to-peer support. All active members of ANA/NJ have received a copy of the 2020 edition of the Directory. Other patients can request a copy by contacting Jane Huck (908-725-0233 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or phone Wilma Ruskin (609-510-9039) for help identifying a patient willing to share his/her experience with acoustic neuroma. Keep in mind that, when speaking with another acoustic neuroma patient, you are not consulting with a qualified professional provider of medical and/or treatment advice.
Guidelines for Cochlear Implantation for Single-Sided Deafness, SSD
A task force of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance has prepared a report that reviews the current [2022] evidence relevant to the assessment and management of adults with SSD, and also outcomes of cochlear implant use on measures of speech recognition in quiet and noise, sound source localization, tinnitus and quality of life. See the article by M. Dillon et al, “American Cochlear Implant Alliance Task Force Guidelines for Clinical Assessment and Management of Adult Cochlear Implantation for Single-Sided Deafness, Ear and Hearing,Vol. 43 (2022). A free full text copy of the review is available at www.pubmed.gov.
Recent Research (PubMed.gov)
PubMed.gov has been called the “true liberator of medical knowledge in the National Library of Medicine [Bethesda, MD].” Virtually all published research articles from the thousands of professionally recognized and peer-reviewed journals are archived on this website. PubMed comes with a powerful search engine that will quickly identify by topic virtually all research reports.
The NLM has zealously pursued the goal of making medical information free, open and easily tapped. Articles in the ANA/NJ newsletter are footnoted to encourage readers to take a look on their own at the important research reports about acoustic neuroma that are available in the medical journals. Simply go online to www.pubmed.gov and use the search engine there to call upthe abstracts of reports cited in the newsletter or in other materials you have read. PubMed will also direct your attention to related reports. For some reports, PubMed will provide a link to a free full-text copy. Reading the full text of any research report is always to be preferred. Most times, however, PubMed will only provide links for ordering copies from reprint companies (at much too high a price, we think). Better would be to ask the Interlibrary Loan Service at your local library to order a copy of the report you wish to read in full. There may or may not be a small charge.
Guidelines for the Future Treatment of Vestibular Schwannomas, Feb 2018 (www.cns.org/guidelines)
For any long-term endeavor, there comes a time to step back and review what’s been done, what’s working (or not), and make adjustments and shape plans for future efforts. Two major American medical associations, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), have determined that this time has come for the diagnosis, management and treatment of vestibular schwannomas. The Joint Guidelines Committee of the associations states:
“Although much information has been garnered from current large retrospective clinical data series, it appears we have maximized the information to be gained by simply increasing the numbers of patients treated in the same fashion and adding to the duration of follow-up. A useful starting point to improving the current knowledgebase is to define the benchmarks of our current knowledge regarding VS management using evidence-based techniques in order to allow meaningful points of departure for future scientific and clinical research.” READ MORE
Clinical Practice Guideline: Tinnitus, 2014 (www.entnet.org)
This important guideline was published as a 40-page supplement to the October 2014 issue of the medical journal Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, vol. 151. The first author of the guideline and chair of its 23-member development group is Dr. David E. Tunkel, Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center, Baltimore, MD. An abstract of the guideline and a ‘Plain Language Summary’ are provided, and there is an extensive 263-item bibliography of consulted books and articles. A free full-text copy is available at www.entnet.org READ MORE
“Conversations in Tinnitus” (www.ata.org)
This is a series of audio podcasts with accompanying transcripts provided by the American Tinnitus Association. They are hosted by John A, Coverstone and Dean Flyger, private practice audiologists in Minnesota and Texas, respectively. Each podcast focuses on current issues, research and treatment methods for people living with tinnitus. The series includes:
Does Diet Play a Role in Tinnitus & Hearing Health? - (Dr Christopher Spankovich)
Habituation to Tinnitus Using Cognitive Behavior Therapy - (Dr Bruce Hubbard)
Mindfulness to Manage Tinnitus - (Jennifer Gans)
The Tinnitus Decision Aid: Implementing Tinnitus Treatment - (Dr Helen Pryce)
Benefits & Pitfalls of an Online Support Community - (Markka Vesala & Hazel Goldhart)
Over-the-Counter Medications for Tinnitus Relief - Dr Robert DiSogra)
Links to Websites
Acoustic Neuroma Association (National Organization)
anausa.org
Acoustic Neuroma Association of Canada ( National Organization)
anac.ca.com
Acoustic Neuroma Patient Archive (Early Acoustic Neuroma Reports)
anarchive.org
American Auditory Society ( Information, Recent news and Updates)
amauditorysoc.org
American Chronic Pain Association (Pain Support & Information)
theacpa.org
American Cochlear Implantation Alliance (Advocay and support organization for CI)
acialliance.org
American Hearing Research Foundation (Hearing & Balance Information)
american-hearing.org
American Tinnitus Association (Education, Research & Support)
ata.org
Association of Late-Deafened Adults, ALDA (Hearing Support Group )
alda.org
British Acoustic Neuroma Association (UK Organization)
bana-uk.com
Brain Science Foundation (Focus on non-cancerous brain tumors)
brainsciencefoundation.org
BrainTrust (Brain Tumor Support Group)
braintrust.org
braintumorfoundation.org
Central NJ Brain Tumor Support Group (Brain Tumor Support Groups)
njbt.org
Cochlear (Baha and other Implant Hearing Solutions)
cochlear.com
CyberKnife (Information, Videos, Resources)
Cyberknife.com
Dana Brain Center (Understanding the brain)
dana.org
Dizziness, Imbalance and Hearing Disorders (Basic information)
dizziness-and-balance.com
Guide to Hearing Loss (Hearing amplification devices )
besthearinghealth.com
Gamma Knife (University of Pittsburgh Gamma Knife Center)
upmc.com
Hearing Health Foundation (Research, HH magazine issues)
hearinghealthfoundation.org
House Ear, CA (Resources and Information)
houseclinic.com
Hearing Loss Association of America (Information & assistance)
hearingloss.org
Hearing Health (Guide to hearing loss )
besthearinghealth.com
MEDEL (Bonebridge and other Implant Hearing Solutions)
medel.com
Medifocus Guidebook on Acoustic Neuroma (Print guidebooks)
medifocus.com
MedlinePlus (Health Info from the National Library of Medicine)
medlineplus.gov
MayoClinic, MN (Information and Resources)
mayoclinic.com
National Brain Tumor Society (Brain Tumor Information, research)
braintumor.org
National Headache Foundation (Headache information & research)
headaches.org
nih National Institutes of Health (Basic Health Information)
nih.gov
National Library of Medicine (Medical journal research reports)
pubmed.gov
National Organization of Rare Disorders (Database, assistance)
rarediseases.org
Vestibular Disorders Association, VEDA ( Balance Disorders Information)
vestibular.org