Long-term quality of life outcomes in patients undergoing microsurgical resection of vestibular schwannoma

Abstract

BackgroundWhile previous studies have assessed patient reported quality of life (QOL) of various vestibular schwannoma (VS) treatment modalities, few studies have assessed QOL as related to the amount of residual tumor and need for retreatment in a large series of patients. Objective: To assess patient reported QOL outcomes following VS resection with a focus on extent of resection and retreatment. MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed using single-center institutional data of adult patients who underwent VS resection by the senior authors between 1989-2018 at Loyola University Medical Center. The Penn Acoustic Neuroma Quality of Life (PANQOL) survey was sent to all patients via postal mail. ResultsFifty-five percent of 367 total patients were female with a mean age of 61.6 years (SD 12.63). The mean period between surgery and PANQOL response was 11.4 years (IQR: 4.74-7.37). The median tumor size was 2 cm (IQR: 1.5-2.8). The mean total PANQOL score was 70 (SD 19). Patients who required retreatment reported lower overall scores (μdiff = -10.11, 95% CI: -19.48 to -0.74; p = 0.03) and face domain scores (μdiff = -20.34, 95% CI: -29.78 to -10.91; p < .001). There was no association between extent of resection and PANQOL scores in any domain. ConclusionIn an analysis of 367 patients who underwent microsurgical resection of VS, extent of resection did not affect PANQOL scores in contrast to previous reports in the literature, while the need for retreatment and facial function had a significant impact on patient-reported outcomes.