Hearing preservation after stereotactic radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma: a systematic review

J Clin Neurosci. 2009 Jun;16(6):742-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2008.09.023. Epub 2009 Mar 20.

Abstract

Radiosurgery has evolved into an effective alternative to microsurgical resection in the treatment of patients with vestibular schwannoma. We performed a systematic analysis of the literature in English on the radiosurgical treatment of vestibular schwannoma patients. A total of 254 published studies reported assessable and quantifiable outcome data of patients undergoing radiosurgery for vestibular schwannomas. American Association of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) class A or B and Gardner-Robertson (GR) classification I or II were defined as having preserved hearing. A total of 5825 patients (74 articles) met our inclusion criteria. Practitioners who delivered an average dose of 12.5 Gy as the marginal dose reported having a higher hearing preservation rate (12.5 Gy=59% vs. >12.5 Gy=53%, p=0.0285). Age of the patient was not a significant prognostic factor for hearing preservation rates (<65 years=58% vs. >65 years=62%; p=0.4317). The average overall follow-up was 41.2 months. Our data suggest that an overall hearing preservation rate of about 57% can be expected after radiosurgical treatment, and patients treated with 12.5 Gy were more likely to have preserved hearing.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Cochlear Nerve / physiopathology
  • Cochlear Nerve / radiation effects
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation
  • Hearing Loss / etiology
  • Hearing Loss / prevention & control*
  • Humans
  • Iatrogenic Disease / prevention & control
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuroma, Acoustic / complications
  • Neuroma, Acoustic / physiopathology
  • Neuroma, Acoustic / surgery*
  • Postoperative Complications / etiology
  • Postoperative Complications / physiopathology
  • Postoperative Complications / prevention & control*
  • Radiosurgery / adverse effects*
  • Radiosurgery / methods*
  • Vestibular Nerve / pathology
  • Vestibular Nerve / physiopathology
  • Vestibular Nerve / surgery