FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE THE FACIAL-NERVE OUTCOME IN VESTIBULAR SCHWANNOMA SURGERY

A series of 276 patients with a unilateral vestibular schwannoma has b een analysed with respect to the factors affecting post-operative faci al nerve outcome. Age, tumour size, operative approach and the use of intra-operative facial nerve monitoring have been examined. The tumour s were removed via either a translabyrinthine or a retrosigmoid approa ch. In this series increasing age and increasing tumour size were asso ciated with a worse facial nerve outcome. The use of intra-operative f acial nerve monitoring and the retrosigmoid approach were both associa ted with a better facial nerve outcome. Those patients having a retros igmoid approach had a facial nerve result that was over one House grad e better than those having translabyrinthine tumour removal.