The Learning Curve for Surgical Resection of Vestibular Schwannoma

Abstract

Introduction: The surgical learning curve describes the time taken, or number of procedures, that an average surgeon requires to perform a procedure independently and with a reasonable outcome. Several studies in the literature suggest that this typically comprises the first 20–30 cases. We sought to determine the learning curve for resection of vestibular schwannoma and hypothesized that patient outcome—as measured by improved facial nerve function and decreased complications—would improve with successive cases.