What Is The Prognosis For Neuroma?

A neuroma is a benign tumor that grows on the nerve cells. It does not extend to neighboring tissues. This tumor is a slow-growing tumor that generally is not life-threatening. It affects nerve cells of the foot and auditory nerve. It is triggered by injury or trauma caused by cut, compression, crush or surgical incision on the nerve. It causes symptoms like burning, numbness, tingling or pain in the affected areas. It has a gradual onset but it can cause constant symptoms. In the case of auditory nerve affections, it causes hearing loss and balance related problems. Its prognosis is good.

Morton’s neuroma does not go on their own. Prognosis of Morton’s neuroma is totally dependent on the condition of the foot, the profession of the patient and treatment options selected. Most patients get relief of pain with simple measures by switching to rightly fitted footwear, shoe pads, or orthotics. Shoe modification that includes avoidance of high heeled shoes or improperly fitted shoes can relieve the symptoms. However, this condition can reappear again when incorrect shoes are used or provoking activities like playing football, etc are continued.

Radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation is found to effective in eradicating the abnormal growth in 80-85% of cases. It relieves a higher percentage of pain. Surgery has a very good outcome for long-term relief of the pain caused by the neuroma. It is successful in 80-90% of cases. Neurectomy has long term relief of symptoms of this condition. In some cases, there can be a relapse of neuroma as a small portion of nerve fibers can be left behind during surgery. This type of neuroma is called stump neuroma.

Acoustic neuroma is a slow-growing tumor of the auditory nerve that does not cause life-threatening symptoms. It does not spread to other tissues of the brain. It is a small sized tumor that does not cause problematic symptoms in many patients.

In some cases, it may interrupt the day to day life of the patient as it can cause a gradual loss of hearing or balancing problems. He may feel vertigo on slight movement and disturbance in the balancing posture. If it is not treated quickly, hearing loss can become permanent and any treatment even surgery may fail to return the original hearing abilities.

In rare cases, the tumor may enlarge to compress main brain structures. In rare cases, it may relapse again even after successful treatment. In rarest cases, the tumor may get so much larger in size that it compresses the brainstem obstructing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid between the brain and spinal cord. This may result in the accumulation of this fluid in the brain leading to rising in cerebral pressure and a condition named hydrocephalus.

A neuroma is a noncancerous growth of nerve cells. It can appear at any part of nerve cells anywhere in the body. It is a painful condition marked by the swelling in the affected area. It develops most commonly in auditory nerve of the brain or in the nerves of the foot. It affects women more than men. Its main causes are cut or crush of the nerve fibers due to excessive stretching, compression, injury or surgery in the affected area.

There are two common types of neuroma-

Acoustic Neuroma– it develops in the eighth cranial nerve in between brain and inner ear. It affects hearing abilities and balance of the body. It causes 7% of brain tumors.

Morton’s Neuroma– it develops in the nerve cells at the base of feet. It causes pain while walking or performing activities with feet especially done on a hard surface or when barefoot.

A neuroma is a slow-growing tumor that does not settle on their own. The prognosis or outlook of neuroma depends on its types, its location, and severity of the symptoms, profession of the patient, duration and type of treatment selected.

References:

Also Read:

• Can Acoustic Neuroma Cause Seizures & Eye Twitching, Anxiety?
• 6 Best Shoes for Morton’s Neuroma : Comfortable Footwear for Pain Relief
• What Are The First Symptoms Of Acoustic Neuroma & How Do You Test For It?
• How Does Acoustic Neuroma Affect The Body & What Triggers It?
• Lifestyle Changes For Acoustic Neuroma