title: Review of an 11-year Experience in Retrosigmoid Approach for Treatment of Acoustic Neuromas.
abstract: This study reviews surgery on acoustic neuromas by the second author using retrosigmoid approach from January 2000 to June 2010 in the state of Sarawak. There was a total of 32 patients in this study. The commonest presenting symptom was hearing loss (81.3%), followed by headache and tinnitus (each 37.5%), ataxia (34.4%) and facial numbness (21.9%). Twenty-seven patients (84.4%) had large tumor (≥ 3cm) while 5 patients (15.6%) had medium size tumor (1.5-2.9cm). The mean tumor size was 3.6 cm. Facial nerve outcome was good to moderate in 93.7% (House and Brackmann Grade I-IV). The most common complications were CSF leak with 3 patients(9.4%) and facial numbness with 2 patients(6.3%). All either resolved with treatment or improved. There was no mortality. Excision of acoustic neuromas using retrosigmoid approach could achieve acceptable facial nerve outcome with a low incidence of morbidity without mortality.
authors.affiliation: Sarawak General Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, Kuching, Sarawak 93586, Malaysia. wonghm96@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: S H A
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D005154:Facial Nerve; D034381:Hearing Loss; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008296:Malaysia; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic; D016896:Treatment Outcome