Distinct spontaneous shrinkage of a sporadic vestibular schwannoma

We present a case with outspoken spontaneous vestibular schwannoma shrinkage and review the related literature. The patient was initially diagnosed with a left-sided, intrameatal vestibular schwannoma, which subsequently grew into the cerebello-pontine angle (CPA), followed by total shrinkage of the CPA component without any intervention over a 12-year observation period. The literature on spontaneous tumor shrinkage was retrieved by searching the subject terms vestibular schwannoma, conservative management in PubMed/MEDLINE database, without a time limit. Of the published data, the articles on shrinkage or negative growth or regression or involution of the tumor were selected, and the contents on the rate, extent and mechanism of spontaneous tumor shrinkage were extracted and reviewed. The reported rate of spontaneous shrinkage of vestibular schwannoma is 5-10% of patients managed conservatively. Extreme shrinkage of the tumor may occur spontaneously. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.