Yes to de-bulking and saving hearing--depending on location of tumor, size, surgeon, etc. I am 56 years old, had my 2.5 cm acoustic neuroma diagnosed at the end of last August. I had experienced facial numbness, but only a slight loss of hearing. I was very lucky to be referred to Dr. Robert Spetzler at Barrow Neurological Institute here in Phoenix (we live in Phoenix, have several friends who are doctors here and in other places across the country and all describe Dr. Spetzler as a god!) and he and Dr. Weisskopf, who is also fabulous, did my surgery on Nov. 15th. They used the retrosigmoid approach and de-bulked the tumor, because the tumor was already pressing on the facial nerve which was why I was experiencing the facial numbness. My tumor had grown in a manner that sounds imilar to yours--minimal hearing impact, b ut compressing bth the facial nerve and brain stem. The shell of the tumor crumples in on itself, and I'll be following up with regular MRIs and perhaps will need to have radiation at some point. I had minimal additional loss of hearing and, yes, I can even use a phone on that side. I still have some slight facial numbness, but absolutely no facial paralysis. I can't say enough great things about my experience with these two wonderful doctors, and everyone at Barrow and St. Joseph's. With the assorted possible outcomes, a lot depends on location of the AN, both in how much hearing you have lost prior to surgery and how much can be preserved once the procedure is done.
