title: [Enlarged retro-labyrinthic approach: application to surgery of acoustic neurinoma. Apropos of 55 cases].
abstract: The enlarged retro-labyrinthic route described here allows opening of the internal auditory canal, exeresis of tumors localized in the ponto-cerebellous angle and in the internal auditory canal. We used this route for 55 neurinomas of the auditory nerve (7.4% stage I, 23.6% stage II, 45.4% stage III and 23.6% stage IV). Most of the tumors in our series were > 2 cm. There were no post-operative deaths. Risk of fistulization was low, 3.8%. Post-operative meningitis (3.8%) regressed rapidly with treatment. Facial function outcome was equivalent to that obtained with the enlarged trans-labyrinthic route and reported in the literature in series treated via the sub-occipital route (83.6% for grades I and II, 11% for grade III). One patient required hypoglosso-facial anastomosis with a grade IV result at 6 months. Auditive function was preserved at a socially acceptable level in 14.5% of the patients and in 21.8% hearing aids were needed. Selecting a subgroup of 25 patients with good quality hearing prior to surgery (< 30 dB) and a tumor invading less than three-fourths of the internal auditory canal, for all tumor sizes, 28% preserved socially acceptable hearing. To these must be added 20% who had some hearing loss which could be corrected. The modulary mature of the retrolabyrinthic route is easily transposable to the trans-labyrinthic rout. Because of the potential for preserving auditive function this technique should replace the less flexible sub-occipital route.
authors.affiliation: Service ORL, Groupe Hospitalier Pellegrin, Bordeaux.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Darrouzet
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tessier
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guerin
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bebear
mesh_terms: D001299:Audiometry; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000601:surgery; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008722:Methods; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012307:Risk Factors