Preserved Cochlear CISS Signal is a Predictor for Hearing Preservation in Patients Treated for Vestibular Schwannoma With Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Background: Hearing preservation is a goal for many patients with vestibular schwannoma. We examined pretreatment magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and posttreatment hearing outcome after stereotactic radiosurgery. Methods: From 2004 to 2014, a cohort of 125 consecutive patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS) treated via stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) were retrospectively reviewed. MRIs containing three-dimensional constructive interference in steady state or equivalent within 1 year before treatment were classified by two radiologists for pretreatment characteristics. "Good" hearing was defined as American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery class A. Poor hearing outcome was defined as loss of good pretreatment hearing after stereotactic radiosurgery. Results: Sixty-one patients met criteria for inclusion. Most had tumors in the distal internal auditory canal (55%), separated from the brainstem (63%), oval shape (64%) without cysts (86%), and median volume of 0.85 ± 0.55 cm3. Pretreatment audiograms were performed a median of 108 ± 173 days before stereotactic radiosurgery; 38% had good pretreatment hearing. Smaller tumor volume (p 

from #ORL-AlexandrosSfakianakis via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2HRJRar