title: Hearing preservation and facial nerve function in vestibular schwannoma surgery.
abstract: The objective of this study was the assessment of hearing preservation in vestibular schwannoma surgery. This study reports a prospective cohort of 40 patients with clinically useful hearing from a consecutive series of 191 patients with unilateral vestibular schwannoma. The patients were managed in a tertiary centre by a combined team of Neurosurgeon, Otologist and Neuro-monitoring Scientist via a neuro-oto-surgical-retrosigmoid approach. Pure tone speech audiometry was conducted preoperatively and 6 months to 9 years following surgery. Using the AA0-HNS classification, useful hearing, i.e. grades A, B and C, was preserved in 47.5% of patients. Thirty-eight per cent achieved grade A or B. Using appropriate surgical and monitoring techniques, it is possible to preserve useful hearing in approximately 50% of patients following removal of a vestibular schwannoma via the retro-sigmoid approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, St Michael's Hospital, Bristol, UK. margaret.carter@ubht.swest.nhs.uk
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Maw
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Coakham
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ayoub
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Butler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000379:methods; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013506:Otologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013067:Speech Perception; D016896:Treatment Outcome