Loyola joins only a few centers nationwide performing an outpatient procedure called vertebroplasty in which injections of methylmethacrylate paste prevent the vertebrae in the spinal column from collapsing due to osteoporosis or other bone-related disorders. Through the procedure, patients report relief from severe, chronic back pain without the need for narcotic medications or major back surgery. Loyola has performed more than 500 acoustic neuroma procedures over the last eight years. The average hospital does about one to five of these operations annually. An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of unilateral acoustic neuromas are diagnosed each year in the United States.
Acoustic neuromas are noncancerous growths that can cause deafness and, ultimately, death.
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