The long-term outcome of hearing preservation following vestibular schwannoma surgery.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to describe the long-term outcome of preserved hearing after vestibular schwannoma surgery.


METHODS
Subjects are 20 unilateral vestibular schwannoma patients whose class A hearing of the AAO-HNS classification was preserved successfully after tumor removal. Hearing preservation surgery was attempted via the middle cranial fossa (MCF) or the extended MCF approach. The follow-up periods ranged from 2 to 16 years. The outcome measures included the pure tone average (PTA) and speech discrimination score (SDS).


RESULTS
PTA was maintained in less than 30 dB in 11 out of 20 patients within 2 years follow-up, six out of 13 patients within 4 years follow-up, and two out of five patients within 6 years follow-up, respectively. SDS was maintained in more than 70% in 17 out of 20 patients within 2 years follow-up, ten out of 13 patients within 4 years follow-up, and three out of five patients within 6 years follow-up, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The preserved hearing maintained about more than 40% of the patients with the class A hearing in every 2 years follow-up. From this result, we can conclude that the hearing preservation surgery could be one of the best treatments for vestibular schwannoma patients with class A hearing. However, further study will be needed to clarify the mechanism of the deterioration in hearing after hearing preservation surgery.
Inoue
Y
Y
Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.
Kanzaki
J
J
Ogawa
K
K
Hoya
N
N
Takei
S
S
Shiobara
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003390:Cranial Nerve Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000601:surgery*; D013506:Otologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014725:Vestibular Nerve / Q000601:surgery*