Hi All.
I was prompted to get an MRI by an ENT doctor following a bout of severe vertigo and hearing loss. The MRI showed a 1.5cm CPA tumor. Since then, the vertigo and balance issues have disappeared and my hearing has greatly improved. So I put myself into watch and wait status.
My ENT doctor gave me a referral, saying that he was "a good surgeon". I have not seen him.
My plan was to get another MRI after 6 months so that I could establish the growth rate. If my symptoms worsened, then that would prompt me to consider treatment.
Recently I have been feeling pressure in my head at night and I fear this will worsen to the point that it will prevent me from sleeping. So now I am researching microsurgical treatment.
I am 43 years old and the tumor has a cyst in it, although it wouldn't meet the established definition of a cystic tumor. But it would be reasonable to preclude radiotherapy from consideration.
As I see it, this will almost certainly be the most complicated surgery I will endure. It is also one of the most important decisions I'll make in my life. So I think I want a little more to go by than "he's a good surgeon".
My research indicates that high volume AN surgery centers achieve better results. One study shows that for every additional surgery treated per year, complications are reduced by 2%.
I live in Austin, TX and I'm willing to travel anywhere in the country (or even in the world) to be treated. Would anyone here be able to help me by listing the high volume AN surgery centers in the country? Since the total number of surgeries performed annually must be just a few thousand, my assumption is there are less than a dozen or so centers that would meet the criteria.
This would help me a lot. Thanks for reading!
tl;dr: What are the high volume AN surgery centers in the US?
Dave
