Vestibular Schwannoma Practice Patterns: An International Cross-specialty Survey

Objective: To assess vestibular schwannoma (VS) practice patterns among providers. Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: 8th Quadrennial International Conference on Vestibular Schwannoma and Other CPA Tumors. Subjects: Clinicians who specialize in the management of VS. Main Outcome Measures: Responses to questions on the management and anticipated outcomes of VS for a series of common clinical scenarios were compared by specialty (otolaryngology versus neurosurgery), level of experience, scope of practice (surgery versus radiation and surgery), and geographic location of practice (United States versus international). Results: Responses from 110 participants were analyzed. Overall, 53% of respondents were otolaryngologists, 60% had greater than 10 years of experience, and 57% practiced within the United States. In total, 86% of respondents would pursue initial observation for themselves if diagnosed with a 4 mm distal intracanalicular VS; however, practicing radiosurgeons were more likely to select stereotactic radiosurgery for this scenario compared with providers who solely practice surgery (14 versus 0%; p = 0.032). Otolaryngologists and neurosurgeons alike report that radiosurgery should not be considered a long-term hearing preservation strategy. Otolaryngologists were more optimistic regarding microsurgical hearing preservation outcomes for small distal intracanalicular tumors compared with neurosurgeons (11 versus 3% selected a high likelihood of maintaining class A/B hearing; p = 0.007). Ninety-five percent of respondents prioritized facial nerve outcome over complete disease removal in the context of microsurgical resection of large tumors. Conclusions: Management decision-making and expected outcomes for various clinical scenarios were largely similar among providers; however, variances in several key clinical areas exist. This study points to the feasibility of developing a widely accepted consensus statement among VS experts across specialties.