Recovery of hearing after removal of a large jugular foramen schwannoma: Report of two cases

BACKGROUND Although hearing loss is a common presenting symptom of jugular foramen schwannoma (JFS), recovery of hearing after tumor removal has rarely been reported. We report two cases of a large JFS presenting with severe hearing loss and recovering normal hearing after tumor removal. METHODS AND...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Surgical neurology 1999, Vol.51 (1), p.60-65
Main Authors: Yamakami, Iwao, Nakamura, Takao, Ono, Junichi, Yamaura, Akira
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Diagnosis, Differential
Female
Hearing
Hearing Loss - etiology
Humans
jugular foramen
Jugular Veins
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Neurilemmoma - complications
Neurilemmoma - diagnosis
Neurilemmoma - surgery
schwannoma
Skull Base Neoplasms - complications
Skull Base Neoplasms - diagnosis
Skull Base Neoplasms - surgery
Treatment Outcome
tumor surgery
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Summary:BACKGROUND Although hearing loss is a common presenting symptom of jugular foramen schwannoma (JFS), recovery of hearing after tumor removal has rarely been reported. We report two cases of a large JFS presenting with severe hearing loss and recovering normal hearing after tumor removal. METHODS AND RESULTS Two patients complaining of progressive hearing loss each proved to have a large JFS involving the posterior fossa. The hearing losses, which exceeded 90 dB, were not associated with dysfunction of the 9th, 10th, or 11th cranial nerves. Schwannomas were removed by a suboccipital retrosigmoid approach, preserving labyrinthine structures. The vestibulocochlear nerve, stretched and displaced rostrally by the tumor, was preserved with surrounding arachnoidal tissue. Soon after surgery, recovery of hearing began; normal hearing was restored within 3 months. CONCLUSIONS In a case of JFS with severe hearing loss, normal hearing may be attainable by tumor removal using a retrosigmoid approach that preserves labyrinthine structures. The arachnoidal tissue separating the vestibulocochlear nerve from the schwannoma is important to hearing preservation.
ISSN:0090-3019
1879-3339
DOI:10.1016/S0090-3019(97)00452-7