key papersKey paper
Vestibular schwannomas (review)
A clinical review of acoustic neuromas covering how they present, why observation is now the first choice for most small tumours, and how microsurgery and radiosurgery compare for tumours that grow.
Overview
Review article summarising the epidemiology, natural history, imaging, hearing outcomes and management of sporadic vestibular schwannoma, including the shift towards observation with serial MRI, indications and outcomes for stereotactic radiosurgery and microsurgery, quality-of-life considerations and NF2-related disease.
ReviewHas not changed practice yet
Authors
Carlson ML, Link MJ.
Published
What it means
The observation-first approach and the framing of treatment as a trade between facial nerve function, hearing and tumour control on the vestibular schwannoma page reflect this review.
Caveats
- No randomised trials compare the three main strategies; recommendations rest on observational data.