Hearing loss in vestibular schwannoma

Abstract

Purpose: The most common reason for consultation in patients suffering from Vestibular Schwannoma (VS) is progressive hearing loss. The main objective of this study is analyzing the hearing loss in patients with VS and determining the extent to which the tumor grade and the hearing loss are related.  Methods: An observational retrospective study was conducted with a sample of 291 patients diagnosed with VS between 1995 and 2017 in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery of the Tertiary Care Primary Center of Salamanca. We analyzed preoperative and postoperative data from patients with VS as well as radiological and surgical findings. Results: The most common reason for consultation at diagnosis was progressive unilateral hearing loss (31.6%). The relationship between the size of the VS and hearing loss in the patients who reported progressive unilateral hearing loss as a reason for consultation was not statistically significant (p=0.099).              Conclusion: The most common reason for consultation in VS is progressive unilateral hearing loss. The hearing loss caused by VS does not have a statistically significant association with any particular tumor grade, although severe and profound hearing loss is more commonly associated with grade III-IV neurinomas, whereas mild hearing loss or normal hearing are more likely in grade I-II tumors.