Transtemporal planned partial resection of bilateral acoustic neurinomas

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Abstract
In an attempt to overcome the complete auditory deprivation of young patients with bilateral acoustic nerve schwannomas (Morbus v. Recklinghausen) a planned partial resection of the tumour was carried out in 11 hearing ears. The cerebello-pontine angle was exposed by the enlarged middle fossa approach (Wigandet al., HNO 1985). A strip of tumour was left in contiguity to the facial and cochlear nerves. Hearing was initially preserved in all cases. Four of them, however, developed total deafness after 3–39 months. Recurrent tumour growth was checked by CT scans. During the observation time one resting tumour became invisible, five remained unchanged. Two grew larger. Three cases dropped out of the followup. With regard to the high value of preserved auditory function during the first decades of life the planned partial resection may be considered preferable for cases of bilateral acoustic neuromas.