From the ANA Website, here are some questions:
QUESTIONS FOR THE SURGEON
If you have decided to have your acoustic neuroma surgically removed, you may wish to ask some of the following questions of a potential surgeon:
How many acoustic tumors have you removed this month/this year and/or what specific training in acoustic tumor surgery have you had?
What is your total experience in operative cases of acoustic neuroma tumors over what period of time?
What microsurgical approach do you recommend for my tumor size, location, age, health and level of hearing?
Do you feel the facial nerve results or hearing results are more important in the long-term outcome? How do you achieve their preservation and what are your success rates?
Do you electrically monitor the facial nerve during surgery?
Do you use the newer technique to preserve the facial nerve? When leaving in small pieces of residual tumor on the brainstem or facial nerve, tumor growth usually stops as long as the tumor is not connected to the porus.
For a tumor the size of mine, what have been your results with respect to facial nerve damage, both temporary and permanent?
What is the likelihood that my remaining hearing will be preserved after this surgery?
Do you anticipate total tumor removal with a single operation? If not, what are my follow-up options? Surgery? Radiation?
Will this surgery be done by a team of physicians with more than one specialty?
What has been your rate of surgical complication with respect to infection, bleeding, CSF leak and headache?
When and how often should I schedule follow-up MRIs after treatment? Will I get these MRI's for up to 10 years?
Does your hospital have a neurological intensive care unit?
About how many days will I be in the hospital?
What follow-up care will I need?
How much discomfort should I expect from headaches and from the incision after this surgery?
The following points may also be considered:
It's all right to get more than one opinion.
Did you feel comfortable with the surgeon, information shared, etc.?
All other things being equal, when can the surgery be scheduled?
(Blatantly stolen from:
http://www.anausa.org/questions_for_physician.shtml).
There is also a good "question" form that can be found at
http://anworld.com/questions/ with space to write your answers. This way you can refer back to it later if you're comparing several doctors.
I'd definitely send it to House to get their read on it because a) they're experts with treating ANs surgically and b) it's a free consultation.
Regards,
Brian
