Does anyone dive with an acoustic neuroma?

[fintastico]

Hi everyone

I joined this board a few years ago while I was living in Florida, and have lurked off and on. I have been landlocked once again for the past while, and was also diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma last year.

Is there anybody here who is happily and successfully diving with an AN?

This is a conversation I'll eventually have with my doc, but just wondered how another diver might be doing.

Learning to dive is still on my list, and I will be crushed if I hear that it's not a good idea.

#QuarantinePreoccupations

 

[TMHeimer]

Maybe try the sub forum:
Marine Science & Physiology
then Diving Medicine

 

[fintastico]

Maybe try the sub forum:
Marine Science & Physiology
then Diving Medicine

Thank you for pointing me toward those subforums. I will certainly check them out.

 

[-JD-]

If you want, you can click the "Report" button on your post and ask a moderator to move the thread to one of the more specific sub-forums.

 

[rick00001967]

i had to look this up. sounds similar to what a friend had. but hers was not benign unfortunately. it was removed. she lost the hearing in that ear.
i would be curious what a diving physician would say about diving if it is not removed. possible vertigo issues ??
i would think it would be a non issue if it is removed and eventually healed.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Tagging @doctormike

 

[fintastico]

i had to look this up. sounds similar to what a friend had. but hers was not benign unfortunately. it was removed. she lost the hearing in that ear.
i would be curious what a diving physician would say about diving if it is not removed. possible vertigo issues ??
i would think it would be a non issue if it is removed and eventually healed.

Hi
Thank you for the reply. I'm sorry that your friend's tumor was not benign. I count myself lucky. It is small now and is being watched. I do have mild vertigo issues at certain times, especially while lying in bed and upon lying down or getting out of bed. It has to do with head movements. Once I am up and moving around, there is almost no issue at all with vertigo. I am wondering about that and about any issues with pressure in that ear.

Anyway, thanks again!

 

[doctormike]

The Venn diagram overlap of people who remove acoustic neuromas and people who have dive medicine training is pretty small - there may be someone out there more appropriate to answer this than me. But what I would consider the biggest issue would be any associated vertigo, which might be exacerbated by the alternobaric phenomenon, or by the caloric response.

Most of the ear issues in diving have to do with the middle ear and inadequate equalization. There are some inner ear problems that can be caused by diving, but other than inner ear DCS, they are also associated with equalization issues (perilymph fistula, dehiscent semicircular canals, inner ear barotrauma), in which it is the interface between the middle and inner ear that causes the problem.

In the case of an acoustic neuroma, I don't see how barotrauma would affect the area of the tumor. In some cases of AN, there can be excessive pressure in the inner ear fluid (endolymphatic hydrops as in Meniere's disease), but I'm not sure if there is any study that would look at the effect of that AN association while diving. So while I'm DEFINITELY not an expert in this field, I'm not sure what the issue would be if there was no associated vertigo.

Now, this is just about the AN itself. Diving after SURGERY would depend on the approach and any complications, so that's a completely different question. Different tumors are removed with different techniques, so for that, you would have to ask your surgeon. CSF leaks, problems equalizing, etc... If it's a small AN that is just being watched, or treated with radiation, then that's not an issue. Here is something that you might find interesting on that front, from Vanderbilt - one of the best otology centers in the country. It's about how an AN patient returned to diving after a translabyrinthine approach.

Finally, one thing to consider. There is a non-zero incidence of permanent hearing loss related to a variety of diving accidents. So if you have no serviceable hearing in one ear (either before or after treatment), you have twice the risk of complete deafness when compared to someone with two hearing ears.

 

[Ukmc]

You can look into middle cranial fossa approach if you will decide to get it treated - the highest chance of not disturbing middle or inner ear. From your symptoms - it sounds like you have vestibular schwannoma and not necessarily acoustic tumor (both are located in the internal auditory canal). I am sure you have a good neurootologist following you - his opinion would be valuable. Chances of dead ear from diving are really low (possible) so that would not discourage me from continuing to dive. Your vertigo with position changes is probably the most bothersome symptom as far as diving. There are several systems that body uses to compensate (help weak inner ear on the surface so your vertigo stops shortly after onset or preventing it from happening) . You are going to take most of them away under the water and that could really take you for a spin...

 

[tridacna]

You can look into middle cranial fossa approach if you will decide to get it treated - the highest chance of not disturbing middle or inner ear. From your symptoms - it sounds like you have vestibular schwannoma and not necessarily acoustic tumor (both are located in the internal auditory canal). I am sure you have a good neurootologist following you - his opinion would be valuable. Chances of dead ear from diving are really low (possible) so that would not discourage me from continuing to dive. Your vertigo with position changes is probably the most bothersome symptom as far as diving. There are several systems that body uses to compensate (help weak inner ear on the surface so your vertigo stops shortly after onset or preventing it from happening) . You are going to take most of them away under the water and that could really take you for a spin...

@Ukmc What are your med credentials?