Recent expericience in the surgery of acoustic neurinomas

A translabyrinthine method was used in 49 and a suboccipital approach in 55 cases, for the removal of an acoustic neuroma. The translabyrinthine procedure is well suited in cases with no pontine compression, whereas in large tumours the wide opening in the suboccipital method gives added safety to the procedure. The mortality rate was 3% and the facial nerve function after translabyrinthie surgery showed permanent paralysis in 4 patients. A team approach using the suboccipital route has been started in an attempt to save hearing in small- and medium-sized tumours.