Balance, mobility and gaze stability deficits remain following surgical removal of vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma): an observational study.
OBJECTIVE
Are there residual deficits in balance, mobility, and gaze stability after surgical removal of vestibular schwannoma?


METHODS
Observational study.


METHODS
Twelve people with a mean age of 52 years who had undergone surgical removal of vestibular schwannoma at least three months previously and had not undergone vestibular rehabilitation. Twelve age- and gender-matched healthy people who acted as controls.


METHODS
Handicap due to dizziness, balance, mobility, and gaze stability was measured.


RESULTS
Handicap due to dizziness was moderate for the clinical group. They swayed significantly more than the controls in comfortable stance: firm surface eyes open and visual conflict (p < 0.05); foam surface eyes closed (p < 0.05) and visual conflict (p < 0.05); and feet together: firm surface, eyes closed (p < 0.05), foam surface, eyes open (p < 0.05) and eyes closed (p < 0.01). They displayed a higher rate of failure for timed stance and gaze stability (p < 0.05) than the controls. Step Test (p < 0.01), Tandem Walk Test (p < 0.05) and Dynamic Gait Index (p < 0.01) scores were also significantly reduced compared with controls. There was a significant correlation between handicap due to dizziness and the inability to maintain balance in single limb and tandem stance (r = 0.68, p = 0.02) and the ability to maintain gaze stability during passive head movement (r = 0.78; p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
A prospective study is required to evaluate vestibular rehabilitation to ameliorate dizziness and to improve balance, mobility, and gaze stability for this clinical group.
Choy
Nancy Low
NL
Division of Physiotherapy, The University of Queensland, QLD, Australia. n.lowchoy@shrs.uq.edu.au
Johnson
Natalie
N
Treleaven
Julia
J
Jull
Gwendolen
G
Panizza
Benedict
B
Brown-Rothwell
David
D
D000328:Adult; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000150:complications* / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015835:Ocular Motility Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D004856:Postural Balance; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000209:etiology*