[Vestibular schwannoma. Incidence of the disease and the consequences].

During the period 1977-1996 142 vestibular schwannomas in 138 patients in a well-defined population in the County of Aarhus, Denmark were registered. The incidence of vestibular schwannomas changed from approximately six tumours pr. million inhabitants in the years 1977-1981 to 18 tumours pr. million in the period 1992-1996. Most tumours were operated, a smaller group of vestibular schwannomas were observed by repetitive tomographic imaging, due to small tumour size, advanced age, poor health conditions or the patient's refusal of operation. Whether the strategy for the treatment of vestibular schwannomas is an immediate operation or observation of selected patients, the future management of the increasing number of vestibular schwannomas will require an extension of the present surgical and MR-imaging capacity.