[Management of intracanalicular acoustic neurinoma]

Between 1991 and 1996, 35 patients had an intracanalicular tumor: 26 patients were operated via middle cranial fossa approach (MFA: 23 cases) or translabyrinthine approach (TL: 3 cases), 9 cases were supervised by audiovestibular testing and MRI. For the operated patients through MFA the functional hearing (pure tone loss50 dB and 100% vocal discrimination) was preserved in 47.8% of cases, facial function was grade I and II in 83% of cases and grade III in 17% of cases. One recurrence was noted and reoperated by TL. For the TL operated patients, the postoperative facial function was normal (grade I) in all cases. Among the 9 supervised cases for reasons of age (more than 60 years), or the tumoral size (than 5 mm): the tumor in 3 cases did not increase in size, 5 cases increased by 1 mm/year and 1 case increased 1 cm/year (and must be operated). These results show the importance of the middle cranial fossa approach for excision of intracanalicular neuromas and supervising patients with the same tumor according to age, and tumoral size.