Nov 5, 2014
This podcast highlights original research in the December 2014 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Foundation. Editor in chief John Krouse is joined by lead author Matthew Carlson and associate editor Thomas Eby in discussing long-term dizziness among patients treated with varying modalities for vestibular schwannomas.
Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are benign slow-growing tumors that arise from the vestibular portion of the eighth cranial nerve. The majority of patients are diagnosed after experiencing audiovestibular symptoms including asymmetrical hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, or unsteadiness. The current study surveyed 538 respondents that were managed over a 10-year period with microsurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, or observation. At a mean follow-up of eight (8) years, more than half of patients continued to report significant dizziness, irrespective of the treatment modality that was used. Furthermore, there was a strong association between postoperative headaches and persistent dizziness. The author discusses implications of the study, as well as the role of concurrent and sustained migraine as a contributor to both headache and dizziness among patients with vestibular schwannoma. He also suggests the need for additional research to further define relationships observed in the current study.