1. Neurological Examinations
Your ophthalmologist or examining doctor may test your hearing, reflexes, visual acuity and other skills to determine whether or not you may have a brain tumor. Visual acuity tests can help determine the size and depth of the tumor by indirect means.
2. Magnetic Resonance Imaging and CT Scans
If your physician suspects that you may have an optic glioma, he or she can image the brain to determine the location, size and general behavior of the tumor. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test uses radio waves to create a picture of your brain. Often, physicians use dyes to highlight aspects and features within the brain. A CT scan can be combined with a biopsy to identify the type of glioma and determine whether it will eventually be operable.
3. Undergo a Cerebral Angiography
This is another test which neurologists use to identify unknown tissue masses and assess their behavior and future pathways.
4. Look for Potentially Cancerous Growths in Other Areas of the Body
Just because you present with an optic glioma doesn't mean your tumor started in the brain. If you have been a longtime smoker, for instance, an attending physician might suspect lung cancer and may call for chest x-rays or an MRI to look for the source of the tumor tissue. Identifying where the cancer originated is key to developing a treatment regimen.
5. Biopsy of Tissue Suspected to Be Cancerous
In some cases, a biopsy can before performed at the same time as surgery to extract the optic nerve glioma. In other cases, in which the tumor is located in a very hard-to-access region of the brain, a biopsy may be conducted via needle, or a surgeon may literally drill through the skull to access the optic nerve. Once the tissue has been extracted, the neurologist can then examine it for indications of malignancy, and then your physician can move forward with a course of management.
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