Comprehensive Care

Neurotology and skull base surgery are specialized fields focused on ear, hearing and balance care. Specialists in these areas treat conditions affecting your ear, hearing, and balance. These conditions often involve delicate parts of your brain, and important nerves and blood vessels that connect to your brain. Because of this, it is important you have an expert care team.

At Northwestern Medicine, experts in these fields collaborate to help ensure the best outcomes possible. Your care team may also include experts in:

• Audiology
• Speech and language pathology
• Physical therapy
• Radiation oncology
• Neurotology
• Neurosurgery
• Neurology
• Facial reanimation specialists

Neurotology

A neurotologist is a highly-specialized ear, nose and throat (ENT) physician who performs surgeries on the ear and lateral skull base. They care for conditions related to the ears, vestibular (balance) system and at the base of the skull.

• Acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannoma): Non-cancerous tumors that affect the auditory nerve, which transmits signals to your brain so you can process sounds.
• Hearing loss
• Disorders of the external, middle, and inner ear
• CSF leaks: A condition of spinal fluid leaking in to the ear and causing hearing loss
• Superior canal dehiscence: A condition where part of your inner ear is thinner than it should be.

Skull Base Surgery

Skull base surgery is a type of neurosurgery that treats conditions at the base of the skull. These procedures performed on or around where your skull meets your upper neck.

Skull base surgeons are surgeons who work very close to key structures like blood vessels and nerves at the base of the skull. Neurosurgeons may perform the procedure from the side (lateral), from front (anterior) or back (posterior). They can address conditions including:

• Skull base tumors: These are tumors that occur around the bone that lies between your brain and your face or neck. The nerves that control all our senses pass through the bone of the skull base and can be affected by tumors along the skull base. They may be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). These tumors include:
• Meningiomas
• Acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannomas)
• Chordomas
• Pituitary adenomas 
• Cysts, spinal fluid leaks, infections and injuries: These can all occur along the skull base and you may need surgery to treat these problems.

To schedule an appointment, please call one of our locations below.

Downtown Chicago:
Lou and Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital: 833.88.BRAIN (833.882.7246)
Northwestern Medicine Otolaryngology (Ear Nose & Throat): 312.695.8182

West Suburbs:
Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital: 630.933.4056

North Suburbs (Evanston):
Department of Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat): 847.535.7647

• Nationally recognized programs: Northwestern Memorial Hospital is proud to have several top-ranked specialty programs in the nation, per U.S. News & World Report, 2023 – 2024, including programs for:
• Neurology and neurosurgery
• Ear, nose and throat care
• Cancer care
• Dedicated team: At the heart of our success is a compassionate, multidisciplinary team approach that includes:
• Neurotologists
• Neurosurgeons
• Radiation Oncologists
• Vestibular neurologists
• Rehabilitation specialists
• Facial reanimation specialists
• Personalized treatment plans. Our specialists collaborate to provide a comprehensive assessment, then tailor a treatment plan to your unique needs.
• Surgical expertise: Neurotologists and neurosurgeons at Northwestern Medicine are experts in treating acoustic neuromas. Our goal is to help you maintain your facial nerve function and save as much hearing as possible.
• Acoustic Neuroma Association: Northwestern Medicine sponsors the Acoustic Neuroma Association (ANA), a resource for people with acoustic neuroma.
• Advanced diagnosis and treatment: At Northwestern Medicine, you will have access to many of the latest imaging and diagnostic tools available, as well as advanced surgical and nonsurgical treatment options. We also offer rehabilitation to alleviate issues caused by acoustic neuroma.
• Clinical research: Through Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University , you will have access to groundbreaking therapies, including clinical trials and treatments that are not widely available.