Expert: Dina Q Goldin, Ph.D. - 10/4/2008

Question
I am a 30 y.o. female. For the past few months I have noticed constant ringing in my right ear. It is not real loud, but it is usually present through the entire day. I also have noticed periodic numbness of the right side of my face. Mostly at the area of the cheek. I have read in past comments that you would recommend BSER test. What should be done after that?? Also, what are other types of problems/disease could cause these symptoms besides an AN?
I am seeing my primary care physician next week and want to know how to proceed and what else I could be faced with!

Answer
You do not mention whether you have any degradation in your right-side hearing, or any other problems such as headaches or dizziness.  Normally, with AN you would experience some of those problems before experiencing any numbness of your face.  Your untypical symptoms indicate that your tumor, if you have one, might be something other than AN; it might be a benign tumor of a different nerve, such as the facial nerve.  You definitely need to get to the bottom of this, and you will probably need to work with a neurologist.  Your primary doctor may order some tests for you before referring you to a specialist, or they may refer you right away to the specialist, who will order their own tests.

BSER is a good test when there are not enough indications of a tumor to warrant spending money on an MRI, because it is much less expensive than an MRI.  However, when the results are positive, you still need an MRI to provide more information that is necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment.  So often, a BSER test is bypassed altogether in favor of the MRI.