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Updated: Sep 2, 2025
A Unified Methodological Framework for Vestibular Schwannoma Research
Published on: June 20, 2017
Early Translabyrinthine Surgery for Small- and Medium-Sized Vestibular Schwannomas: Consecutive Cohort Analysis of
Elisabetta Zanoletti1, Antonio Mazzoni, Francesca Angela Chiumenti1
1Otolaryngology Section, Department of Neuroscience DNS, Padova University, Padova.
Objective:
Reappraisal of the role of translabyrinthine (TLAB) surgery in small- and medium-sized vestibular schwannomas (VSs).
Study Design:
Retrospective study.
Setting:
Tertiary referral center.
Patients:
A total of 330 consecutive patients diagnosed between 1973 and 2019 with small- and medium-sized VS up to 20 mm in the extrameatal portion submitted to surgical treatment.
Interventions:
VS removal through microscopic TLAB approach.
Main Outcome Measures:
Facial nerve function according to the House-Brackmann scale at 12-month follow-up, postoperative complications and entity of tumor resection assessed with postoperative MRI. A comparative analysis of outcomes between two groups of patients was further conducted, according to tumor size: Group A, small-sized (intrameatal or ≤10 mm extrameatal tumors) and Group B, medium-sized VSs (extrameatal between 11 and 20 mm).
Results:
Complete tumor removal was achieved in all cases. The overall complication rate was 5.5%, being cerebrospinal fluid leak the most frequent. Patients with small-sized VS (n = 121) presented a significantly better facial nerve function than patients with medium-sized tumors (n = 209), showing House-Brackmann Grades I to II in 92.6% versus 73.6% of cases, respectively ( p < 0.001). A nearly 4.5-fold higher risk of poor facial nerve function at 12 months affects patients with medium-sized tumors (odds ratio, 4.473; 95% confidence interval, 2.122-9.430; p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
In the current scenario of multioptional VS management, when hearing preservation is not feasible, early TLAB approach as first-line treatment for small-sized VSs showed favorable results. Factors supporting such proactive surgical treatment include long-term definitive cure, no major complications, good facial nerve outcomes, and the possibility of simultaneous hearing rehabilitation with a cochlear implant.
