Sometimes tumors can grow on the auditory nerve from your ear to your brain. This causes unilateral hearing loss, dizziness, one-sided facial weakness, and tinnitus. An MRI scan is needed to confirm the diagnosis. If you have severe anxiety, you may consider the open MRI option.

Referral

An audiologist performs a battery of tests to help diagnose the cause of unilateral hearing loss. This will include an audiogram that determines the softest sounds that you hear in each ear along with speech discrimination testing. Acoustic reflexes measure how the nerve on each side function. Sometimes the audiologist will do vestibular testing or electrophysiological testing. If the audiologist suspects an acoustic neuroma, he or she will refer you to an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist. The ENT then refers you for the MRI.

Testing

To prepare for the test, you will need to remove watches, jewelry, and underwire bras. … Continue Reading >>>