AICA injury

  My friend underwent surgery recently for a brain tumor in the cerebellar region.  The tumor was benign and was considered a medium-sized, but his anterior inferior cerebellar artery was injured.  If the anterior inferior cerebellar artery had not been injured, would he be essentially normal and able to return to work?  What are the usual risks involved with a cerebellopontine angle approach to the tumor?
Dear Riza,
The most frequent benign tumors of the CP angle include  acoustic neuroma, schwannoma,  and meningioma. Depending on the size of the tumor, there could be compression of various local structures. Symptoms from a tumor in this region could include headache, hearing loss, distrubed sense of balance, facial pain, ringing in the ears, facial weakness, unsteady gait, vertigo, nausea or vomiting.  Treatment is surgical excision of the tumor.  With any surgery, there are risks of neurological deficits depending on the size of the tumor, baseline deficits/damage and local strucures involved.  Symptoms produced by injury to the AICA are also variable because the extent of injury is dependent of the size of the artery and the territory it supplies.  The principal findings could overlap those produced by a CP angle tumor; they include vertigo, nausea, vomiting, nystagmus, ringing in the ears,deafness, facial weakness, ataxia, and loss of pain and temperature sensation to the side of the body opposite the lesion.  If the artery was injured close to the origin, there may be weakness as well.  Unforunately, I am not able to prognosticate with regard to level of functioning and recovery etc. I hope this answers some of your questions. Good Luck.