Abstract

To evaluate preservation of hearing in the resection of vestibular schwannomas.A retrospective case review.Tertiary-care medical center.Forty-seven patients (25 men, 22 women) were studied; mean age was 46 years, mean tumor diameter 9.8 mm (range 3-30 mm.)All patients underwent resection of vestibular schwannomas by the middle cranial fossa (MCF) or the retrosigmoid (RS) approach.Hearing preservation was classified by the criteria outlined by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery. Hearing was assessed preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 month and 1 year. Facial function was graded according to the House-Brackmann scale. Minimum follow-up was 18 months.Hearing was preserved in 69% of patients who underwent the MCF approach but in only 33% of patients for whom the RS approach was used. The RS approach was used for larger tumors (mean diameter 15 mm) and the MCF procedure for smaller tumors (mean diameter 9 mm). One hundred percent of patients had facial function H/B grade II or better, regardless of approach.Hearing function can be reliably preserved in a high percentage of selected patients undergoing resection of vestibular schwannoma.

View details for Web of Science ID 000089111500020

View details for PubMedID 10993461