Management of hydrocephalus associated with large vestibular schwannomas

Some patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS) may present with hydrocephalus.

In such cases, some authors suggest cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunting, while others prefer tumor removal from the outset.

In our study, we retrospectively compared patients for whom we chose to treat the hydrocephalus with CSF shunting and those for whom VS surgery was performed first.

Among a group of n consecutive patients harboring a stage 3 and 4 VS and eligible for resection, 34 patients presented with hydrocephalus. Thirteen patients underwent CSF shunting (group 1). Twenty-one patients had their VS removed first (group 2). Among the latter group, 18 patients had resolution of hydrocephalus. There was a significant difference between group 1 and 2 in the presence of signs of intracranial hypertension (p = 0.00), preoperative tumor volume (p = 0.04).Previous radiosurgery and a strong adherence of the tumor capsule to the brain were statistically associated with requirement of CSF shunting (p = 0.01).

The results of this study suggest that VS patients presenting with a well-tolerated hydrocephalus should be preferentially treated of their schwannoma with rare need for a shunt.