Hearing preservation surgery in vestibular schwannoma: the hidden truth.
To compare the results of hearing preservation surgeries using different approaches--the enlarged middle cranial fossa approach and the retrosigmoid approach--and different classification systems, stressing the importance of preserving "normal hearing," we performed a retrospective case review in a tertiary care medical center. The charts of 107 patients with vestibular schwannoma who underwent tumor resection were reviewed. Hearing preservation was reported according to 2 different classification systems: the modified Sanna classification and the classification of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. The facial nerve results were graded according to the House-Brackmann scale. The hearing preservation rates differed markedly depending on the classification used. We conclude that hearing preservation in acoustic neuroma is a more difficult proposition than most surgeons appreciate, especially in terms of serviceable hearing.
Gruppo Otologico Piacenza-Rome, Via Emmanueli 42, 29100 Piacenza, Italy.
Mario
M
Sanna
Tarek
T
Khrais
Alessandra
A
Russo
Enrico
E
Piccirillo
Angela
A
Augurio
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D035301:Cranial Fossa, Middle / Q000601:surgery; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000145:classification / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000601:surgery*; D013517:Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome