10 cm AN?

[jbbrown15]

Is it possible?

[Tumbleweed]

I doubt it. A 10cm dimension along the transverse (horizontal axis), for example, would take up at least half the width of a person's normal-size head, leading to severe brainstem compression. I think they would probably be dead before it got that large. The largest AN I've heard reported was a little over 6 cm, referred to as a giant schwanomma.

Why do you ask?

TW

[jbbrown15]

Heard about an acquaintance of a friend and that was the size reported. I think there's some miscommunication or misunderstanding.

[PaulW]

10mm much more likely.

The biggest I have ever heard of is 8cm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM4Z78x_O80

[Jim Scott]

Although most Americans don't use the metric system of measurement - the medical profession does.  This can generate some confusion when discussing AN dimensions.  These forums often see a newly diagnosed AN patient mistakenly state their tumor size in centimeters when the measurement they give is (obviously) millimeters, e.g. 10 cm instead of 10mm.  That is easily corrected.  Once you understand the difference between millimeters and centimeters (something I had to quickly learn when diagnosed) stating your AN size accurately becomes routine and allows you to spot the error when another poster mistakenly states an unrealistically large number as their AN size.

Jim   

[arizonajack]

10 cm in diameter is the size of a grapefruit.

That could be referring to volume (ccm) and not dimensions.

2.15cm x 2.15cm x 2.15cm = 9.9 ccm.

Makes a little more sense that way.

[mikechinnock]

Size can be an interesting concept. My surgeon defined my AN as the size of a very large plum that had not only impacted the brain stem, but had sent runners out like the  arms of an octopus. I estimate my tumor was on the order of 8 cm and had really intruded into the brain stem. As someone noted above a 10 cm AN would most likely result in severe brain stem compression. It took two ten hour surgeries just to deal with the portion that impacted the brain stem and the runner that went upwards from there. I think a 10 cm AN would be very unlikely unless runners were involved and had spread out.

[mk]

10 cm in diameter is the size of a grapefruit.

That could be referring to volume (ccm) and not dimensions.

2.15cm x 2.15cm x 2.15cm = 9.9 ccm.

Makes a little more sense that way.

Just a small correction: The formula for calculating the volume is pi/6 x (diameter1)x(diameter2)x(diameter3). So for a 2.15 cm diameter the volume would be pi/6 x (2.15^3)=5.2 cc. A volume of 10 cc corresponds approximately to an AN 3 cm in diameter.

On another note, I didn't know that ANs can have "runners" that spread out. I thought that this is more a characteristic of malignant tumors and that benign tumors have the characteristic spheroid or oval "well contained" shape (I think that this was the term that the radiologist used).

Marianna

[mikechinnock]

I am not a doctor neurologist, or neurosurgeon. However my AN was benign and I recall my neurosurgeon describing runners, one of which penetrated the dura/tentorium as I recall the terms. This the one that required a fourth craniotomy, and another ten hours of surgery.

[ppearl214]

A user here, named "satman" had an 8cm growth.  Can find some info here in what he has shared:

http://www.anausa.org/smf/index.php?topic=7402.0

I'm not ruling out potential of a 10cm and keeping in mind these discussion forums is a sampling of AN'ers.... not all AN'ers are active on these forums.

I never say never.....

Phyl

[mikechinnock]

satman post was an interesting read. I too was diagnosed with a meningioma. Location was at the site where the surgeon pierced the meninges.

[arizonajack]

10 cm in diameter is the size of a grapefruit.

That could be referring to volume (ccm) and not dimensions.

2.15cm x 2.15cm x 2.15cm = 9.9 ccm.

Makes a little more sense that way.

Just a small correction: The formula for calculating the volume is pi/6 x (diameter1)x(diameter2)x(diameter3). So for a 2.15 cm diameter the volume would be pi/6 x (2.15^3)=5.2 cc. A volume of 10 cc corresponds approximately to an AN 3 cm in diameter.

I was postulating a cubical tumor, not a spherical tumor.