Abstract
Objective: Published reports indicate a recent growth in the incidence of diagnosed acoustic neuroma in a number of countries. This increase is commonly linked to use of MRI scanning and increased vigilance in the medical profession. The current paper presents the results of a survey of the incidence of surgery for acoustic neuroma in Australia during the 11 years from 1993/1994 to 2003/2004. Material and methods: Based on figures available from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and The Health Insurance Commission, the report discusses a 78% increase in the incidence of surgery over the 11 year period. Results: The incidence of surgery was assessed as 1.71 per 100,000 of population. It was found that patients included equal numbers of men and women, that the mean age at surgery remained constant over the period, that there was a significant increase in the number of patients over the age of 45 years but no change in the number under 45 years, and that the number of MRIs performed to exclude acoustic neuroma was approximately 40 to 45 for each instance of surgery. Conclusion: Because there is no mechanism for reporting, details are not available on the number of diagnosed acoustic neuromas which do not have surgery. It is, however, suggested that even a minimal 20% of such cases added to the surgical incidence would mean an overall incidence of acoustic neuroma greater than any previously reported.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 5-8 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Australian Journal of Otolaryngology |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |