An acoustic neuroma, also called
a vestibular schwannoma, is a benign primary intracranial
tumor of the myelin-forming cells of the vestibulocochlear
nerve (CN VIII). (Neuroma is derived from Greek, meaning
"nerve tumor".) The term "acoustic"
is a misnomer, as the tumor rarely arises from the
acoustic (or cochlear) division of the vestibulocochlear
nerve. The correct medical term is vestibular schwannoma,
because it involves the vestibular portion of the
8th cranial nerve and it arises from Schwann cells,
which are responsible for the myelin sheath in the
peripheral nervous system. Approximately 3,000 cases
are diagnosed each year in the United States with
a prevalence of about 1 in 100,000 worldwide. Incidence
peaks in the fifth and sixth decades and both sexes
are affected equally.
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