Evaluation of Acupuncture Effects for Complications After Surgery of Cerebellopontine Angle Tumor in Skull Base

Skull base has clinically unique importance:it is the anatomic junction of the neural and facial viscerocranium,supports human brain and supports that contains the neurovascular structures entering or exiting the skull,it divided into anterior,middle and posterior skull base.Skull base tumors are a type of tumor that grow in the area of several skulls behind the cranial cavity ,tumors most grow inside the skull base, and a few are formed outside because the tumor may originate from the base of skull or elsewhere in the body (metastatic).The incidence rate is 2 to 18 per 100,000 people per year; males and females are likely to have a proportional difference in the types of skull base tumors.

Cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors are common skull base tumors in posterior skull base. CP angle located below the cerebrum, between the pons and the cerebellum and between the superior and inferior limbs of the cerebellopontine fissure, it is a V-shaped angular cleft. About 6%-10% of skull base tumors are in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). 90% of tumors in this area(CPA) are vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuromas), 3% are meningioma, and the rest are primary cholesteatoma (lipoma),facial nerve schwannoma ,angioma as well as arachnoid cyst etc..

At present, computed tomography (CT) and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to detect and evaluate skull base lesions. When these tumors grow enough to compress the nerves around the brain, the areas where the tumor are pressed could cause some symptoms such as blurred vision, headache, dizziness and other specific symptoms that affect normal life.

A common traditional treatment for skull base tumors is neurosurgery-craniotomy. However, after the operation, the brain may be injured with hematoma, and the instruments used are in contact with the brain. It is still inevitable that there will have complications of minor and major nerve damages, such as facial paralysis and trigeminal neuralgia, tinnitus, sports disorders (ataxia) and so on. If the damages are in serious situations, patients are also possible to be serious infected or in a vegetative state.

Acupuncture has a unique effect on the treatment of the human nervous system. Acupuncture mainly aims to improve the complications of the surgery of Cerebellopontine angle tumors in skull base by eliminating blood stasis, clearing meridians, and strengthening the body.The researchers' selections of acupoints are distributed in Large Intestine,Stomach Meridian,Small Intestine Meridian,Triple Energizer Meridian and Gallbladder Meridian in body.