Change in hearing during 'wait and scan' management of patients with vestibular schwannoma

Aim: To evaluate hearing changes during 'wait and scan' management of patients with vestibular schwannoma. Subjects: Over a 10-year period, 636 patients have prospectively been allocated to 'wait and scan' management, with annual magnetic resonance scanning and audiological examination. Results: At the time of diagnosis, 334 patients (53 per cent) had good hearing and speech discrimination of better than 70 per cent; at the end of the 10-year observation period, this latter percentage was 31 per cent. In 17 per cent of the patients, speech discrimination at diagnosis was 100 per cent; of these, 88 per cent still had good hearing at the end of the observation period. However, in patients with even a small initial speech discrimination loss, only 55 per cent maintained good hearing at the end of the observation period. Conclusion: After comparing the hearing results of hearing preservation surgery and of radiation therapy with those of 'wait and scan' management, it appears that, in vestibular schwannoma patients with a small tumour and normal speech discrimination, the main indication for active treatment should be established tumour growth.