Hi @hopemay

I had a large 3 cm acoustic neuroma about 22 years ago. I had my surgery (retrosigmoid) at Cedars-Sinai hospital by Dr. Keith Black. I had an excellent outcome and am doing well. The place many people go to here in CA is U.C. San Diego - Dr. Rick Friedman. He hails from the House Institute who used to do the lions share of these surgeries.

It is best to pick the approach the doctor is most comfortable with and thinks will produce the best outcome. I didn't even consider other approaches since Dr. Black was certain that retrosig was his preference.

The larger the tumor, the more dangerous it is to wait. Mine was crushing the brain stem so it was considered a medical emergency. If your relative's is not near anything crucial, it is probably ok to take your time to decide. In general it is a slow growing tumor.

I echo the previous poster's recommendation to check out the Acoustic Neuroma Association website. They have lots of good information there.

Wishing you all the best.