title: Guiding patients through the choices for treating vestibular schwannomas: balancing options and ensuring informed consent.
abstract: Counseling patients who are diagnosed with vestibular schwannomas, formerly known as acoustic neuromas, can be challenging. The health care provider has the responsibility to explain, in understandable language, to the patient or legal representative the proposed treatment options, risks and complications associated with each form of treatment, and alternatives to treatment, including no therapy. Patients should be encouraged to gather information before making a treatment decision. For the physicians managing these patients, information should be delivered in a balanced way to ensure patient understanding of their options leading to adequate informed consent.
authors.affiliation: Otology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery, Section of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Virginia Mason Medical Center, 1100 Ninth Avenue, X10-0N, Seattle, WA 98111-0900, USA. otoddb@vmmc.org
authors.forename: Douglas D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Backous
authors.forename: Huong T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Pham
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques