VESTIBULAR NEURECTOMY - RETROSIGMOID-INTRACANALICULAR VERSUS RETROLABYRINTHINE APPROACH

Selective vestibular neurectomy is an effective treatment for intracta ble vertigo of peripheral vestibular origin when preservation of heari ng is a goal. The retrolabyrinthine and retrosigmoid-intracanalicular approaches have been used predominantly at our institutions over the l ast 10 years. The results and complications of these two techniques we re compared. No significant differences were found between hearing res ults in these two patient groups. The retrosigmoid-internal auditory c anal approach yielded better control of recurrent episodic vertigo, as well as superior ablation of postoperative ice-water caloric response s (p < 0.05). Surgical complications, including the incidence of cereb rospinal fluid leakage (greater in retrolabyrinthine approach) and pos toperative headache (more prevalent in retrosigmoid approach), were al so analyzed. To further evaluate the results of this study, data were reanalyzed and compared with previously published reports of selective vestibular nerve section.