Auditory Rehabilitation in Single-Sided-Deafened Patients after Surgery to the Cerebellopontine Angle for Vestibular Schwannoma: What Is the Patient's Choice?

Background

Surgical resection of vestibular schwannomas (VS) can be responsible for single-sided deafness (SSD). Hearing restoration can be a challenge both for the otolaryngologist and the patient. Patients and

Methods

In a retrospective series, we analyzed the charts of SSD patients operated on for VS from 2005-2021, checking which type of hearing rehabilitation was chosen. All patients who wanted a hearing restoration underwent a hearing in noise test (HINT) in a stereo auditorium with and without a bone-anchored hearing device (BAHD) worn with a headband on the deaf side. Then, they had a preimplantation one-month trial with the BAHD at home vs. contralateral routing of signal (CROS) or BiCROS (with contralateral signal amplification) hearing aids (HAs).

Results

Among 52 charts of the included adult SSD patients, only 29 (56%) eventually chose a hearing rehabilitation device (14 BAHD). Only one BAHD patient required a device explantation for skin complications, but then asked for reimplantation. Another one swapped the BAHD for HAs 2.5 years after. Two patients only occasionally used their BAHD with a headband. Nine patients preferred HAs, mainly BiCROS. Their contralateral hearing was significantly less than BAHD patients (p < 0.05), and only three used their HAs every day.

Conclusions

Hearing rehabilitation in SSD patients after VS surgical resection is chosen in about 50% of cases. In complement of HINT, a real-life comparative hearing trial helps patients chose the best device, with good long-term results when a BAHD is chosen. HAs are preferred when contralateral hearing is altered but are not always worn.