Nonetheless, the methionine presence in lieu of the valine (Val129) is what causes the sporadic form of disease. The targeting of this mutation is another strategy that has been suggested as possible for treatment, or hopefully as cure for the disease. Silvano, 1983, Bologna, Italy
In late 1983, Italian neurologist/sleep expert Dr. Ignazio Roiter received a patient at the University of Bologna hospitals sleep institute. The man, known only as Silvano, decided in a rare moment of consciousness to be recorded for future studies and to donate his brain for research in hopes of finding a cure for future victims. Unnamed American patient, 2001
In a 2006 published article, Schenkein and Montagna wrote of a 52-year-old American man who was able to exceed the average survival time by nearly one year with various strategies that included vitamin therapy and meditation, different stimulants and hypnotics, and even complete sensory deprivation in an attempt to induce sleep at night and increase alertness during the day. He managed to write a book and drive hundreds of miles in this time, but nonetheless, over the course of his trials, the man succumbed to the classic four-stage progression of the illness. Egyptian man, 2011, Netherlands
In 2011, the first reported case in the Netherlands was of a 57-year-old man of Egyptian descent. The man came in with symptoms of double vision and progressive memory loss, and his family also noted he had recently become disoriented, paranoid, and confused.
A newer technology, stacked ABR, may have sensitivity as high as 95% with specificity 88% for smaller tumors. ABR is considerably more cost effective, but MRI provides more information. Stapedius reflex (SR) and caloric vestibular response (CVR) are non-invasive otologic tests for auditory neural function. These are not primary diagnostics for CPA neuromas, and are usually used in conjunction
with ABR. Magnetic resonance imaging
Several different types of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be employed in diagnosis: MRI without contrast, Gd contrast enhanced T1-weighted MRI (GdT1W) or T2-weighted enhanced MRI (T2W or T2*W). Non-contrast enhanced MRI is considerably less expensive than any of the contrast enhanced MRI scans. The gold standard in diagnosis is GdT1W MRI. The reliability of non-contrast enhanced MRI is highly dependent on the sequence of scans, and the experience of the operator. Management
Acoustic neuromas are managed by either surgery, radiation therapy, or observation with regular MRI scanning. With treatment, the likelihood of hearing preservation varies inversely with the size of the tumor; for large tumors, preservation of hearing is rare. Because acoustic neuromas, meningiomas and most other CPA tumors are benign, slow growing or non-growing, and non-invasive, observation is a viable management option. Stereotactic radiosurgery
The objective of irradiation is to halt the growth of the acoustic neuroma tumour, it does not excise it from the body, as the term radiosurgery or gammaknife implies. Radiosurgery is only suitable for small to medium size tumors.