Audiometric findings in patients with acoustic neuroma.

OBJECTIVE

Hearing loss remains the most common symptom associated with acoustic neuroma. This study documents the audiometric findings from 721 acoustic neuroma procedures.

STUDY

DESIGN

This was a retrospective study. The preoperative audiometric data were compiled and were analyzed by patient age, gender, tumor size, time of surgery, and neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF 2). Postoperative audiometric data were arranged and compiled in the same way. The hearing classification proposed by the AAO-HNS was applied to all preoperative and postoperative cases.

SETTING

Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS: Surgically confirmed acoustic neuroma patients who had not previously received surgical or radiosurgical therapy. Patients underwent surgery by the retrosigmoid approach.

INTERVENTION: Surgical removal of an acoustic neuroma. MAIN OUTCOME RESULT: Provision of pure tone and speech data from a group of acoustic neuroma patients, including application of the recently introduced and accepted AAO-HNS hearing classification system.

RESULTS

Preoperative audiometric data were obtained from 694 of 721 patients (96%), of whom 619 had measurable hearing. Postoperative audiometry was performed on 606 patients; 152 had usable data. The combined preoperative audiometric data revealed a high frequency sensorineural hearing loss. Word recognition was servicable. The postoperative pure tones and word recognition scores were worse than preoperative scores. Age, gender, tumor size, and time of surgery had some impact on the preoperative hearing and the postoperative result; NF 2 did not.

CONCLUSIONS

The study confirms that hearing alteration is almost universal in acoustic neuroma patients. Hearing preservation is possible in a significant number of cases; however, the postoperative auditory function tends to be worse.