Clinical Analysis of Presenting Otologic Symptoms in Vestibular Schwannoma Patients

Vestibular schwannoma is the most frequent tumor (∼85%) of the cerebellopontine angle. It grows slowly toward the pontine angle, pushing against the VIII cranial nerve and enlarging the internal acoustic meatus. The possible etiological factors of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss include a conduction block of the cochlear nerve or vascular compression within the internal auditory canal (IAC) by a tumor arising laterally. Tinnitus is a false perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus, may be inversely proportional with tumor size, and is associated with depression. Dizziness is a result of a mismatch between the vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems. Ear fullness and headache are almost in the ear region ipsilateral to the tumor, it is uncertain whether headache is associated with untreated acoustic tumor. Knowledge about the onset and development of complaints in vestibular schwannoma patients is important. In addition, this knowledge is necessary to evaluate how treatment compares with the natural course of the tumor. We reviewed 54 patients with unilateral vestibular schwannoma who were referred to our hospital between January 2007 and December 2013. A unilateral sensorineural hearing loss is most common symptom in 82% of cases, tinnitus is second common symptom in 60% of cases, dizziness being35%, ear fullness being15%, and facial palsy and headache are 11%. Most of the patients with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss complained tinnitus.