Neurofibromatosis Type 2 Treatment

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Living with neurofibromatosis type 2 is difficult. You’re dealing with symptoms like hearing and vision loss from tumors in your nervous system.

There’s no cure for neurofibromatosis type 2, but our experienced team at UVA Health can help make the symptoms better.

Neurofibromatosis Type 2 Treatment at UVA Health

Our team includes all the different specialists you need — neurologists, neurosurgeons, ophthalmologists (eye doctors), otolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat doctors), and therapists. We’re skilled in treating the tumors neurofibromatosis type 2 causes, including tumors on your hearing and balance nerves (acoustic neuromas).

We’ll work with you to make a personalized treatment plan that meets your individual needs and gives you the greatest quality of life.

Watchful Waiting

If your tumors are small, we may recommend watchful waiting. We’ll do imaging regularly and treat the tumors if they get bigger and cause you more problems.

Surgery

If your tumors cause hearing loss or other problems, we can do surgery to remove them. Our neurosurgeons are experts in operating in the on these tumors without hurting important nerves and tissue nearby.

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

Gamma Knife uses focused radiation on tumors without hurting the tissue nearby. It doesn’t use a scalpel or knife. It has a much shorter recovery time than regular surgery.

Help With Hearing & Vision

Hearing aids, cochlear implants, and vision aids can help you communicate better and give you higher quality of life.

Supportive Care

We offer therapy services to help with balance, coordination, and communication. These include physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

Our social workers can help you work through the emotional impacts of living with a chronic illness.

Benign Tumors of the Nervous System

Neurofibromatosis type 2, or NF2, is a hereditary condition that creates tumors in the central nervous system, affecting hearing and balance. View NF2 transcript.

Confirming Your Diagnosis

The right treatment starts with the right diagnosis. Diagnosing neurofibromatosis type 2 can be challenging. That’s because it has symptoms similar to other conditions. Also, your symptoms might be mild or severe. If your diagnosis isn’t confirmed, we can help.

At UVA Health, our team of experts is experienced in diagnosing and treating neurofibromatosis type 2. Diagnosing neurofibromatosis 2 includes:

  • Talking with you about your symptoms — We’ll talk about any problems you’re having with hearing, vision, and balance.
  • Genetic counseling and testing — Neurofibromatosis type 2 runs in families and is caused by a faulty gene, which we can test for.
  • Imaging — We’ll use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to check for tumors.
  • Family history — We’ll ask whether you have blood relatives with neurofibromatosis type 2.

Genetic Counseling & Testing

If you have symptoms of neurofibromatosis type 2 or a family history, our genetic counselors can explain the benefits and risks of genetic counseling and testing.