Auditory and facial nerve function following surgery for cerebellopontine angle meningiomas.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the postoperative auditory and facial nerve function results after cerebellopontine angle meningioma removal.


METHODS
Retrospective chart review.


METHODS
Tertiary care referral center.


METHODS
Twenty-one patients undergoing surgical removal of cerebellopontine angle meningiomas by the senior author (R.J.W.).


METHODS
Translabyrinthine or retrosigmoid approach for tumor extirpation.


METHODS
Postoperative auditory (pure-tone average and speech discrimination score) and facial (House-Brackmann scale) function within 1 year of follow-up.


RESULTS
Twenty-three operations were performed on 21 patients. Hearing preservation through the retrosigmoid approach was attempted in 11 patients (48%). Normal hearing (class A) was preserved in 9 of 10 patients. Normal postoperative facial nerve function (House-Brackmann grade I) was conserved in 11 (65%) of 17 patients.


CONCLUSIONS
This review demonstrates that successful hearing preservation is possible with meningiomas. Therefore, the retrosigmoid approach should be used whenever serviceable hearing is present preoperatively. Normal facial nerve function can also be preserved in the majority of patients.
Batra
Pete S
PS
Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, 1000 Central St, Suite 610, Evanston, IL 60201, USA.
Dutra
Jose C
JC
Wiet
Richard J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002530:Cerebellopontine Angle; D003056:Cochlear Nerve; D005154:Facial Nerve; D005155:Facial Nerve Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008579:Meningioma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome