Bilateral cerebellopontine angle tumors in neurofibromatosis type 2

In a series of over 500 cases of cerebellopontine angle tumors, 19 patients had bilateral neurinomas. Four of these tumors arose from the facial rather than the acoustic nerve. A conservative policy regarding surgery had been adopted in an effort to prevent hearing loss for as long as possible. Nevertheless, all patients operated on in this series are now totally deaf. The results of managing these patients surgically and conservatively are discussed.