Tumor control and hearing preservation after radiosurgery of intracanalicular vestibular schwannomas – systematic review

Intracanalicular vestibular schwannomas (IVS) account for 8% of all vestibular schwannomas and their detection is still increasing due to high availability of magnetic resonance (MRI). Radiosurgery is one of several commonly acceptable methods of IVS treatment, but some risk may still exist with that treatment. The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical outcomes in tumor control and hearing preservation after radiosurgery of IVS. The retrospective analysis included 14 scientific papers available in the PubMed database. Assessment of tumor volume was performed based on gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted scans. Hearing preservation was assessed using the Gardner-Robertson classification (GR class). Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27. It was revealed that tumor growth control in IVS treated with radiosurgery was higher than in the wait-and-see strategy. The hearing preservation was similar in patients after wait and see and the surgical group. Radiosurgery was associated with low risk of facial nerve dysfunction.