Influence of different approaches to the cerebellopontine angle on the function of the intermediate nerve.

Object: Surgery in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) is a standard procedure at many centers. Outcome is focused mainly on preservation of hearing and facial function postoperatively. The nonmotor part of the facial nerve, the intermediate nerve, is nearly neglected nowadays.

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor in sporadic vestibular schwannomas correlates to growth characteristics.

Hypothesis: Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) may have an impact on the growth characteristics of sporadic vestibular schwannomas (VSs).

Background: Vestibular schwannoma is a benign, slow-growing neoplasm that accounts for 6% of all intracranial tumors. The biological backgrounds for neoplastic growth and especially for the various growth patterns of VS remain largely unknown.

Dynamic posturography findings predict balance status in vestibular schwannoma patients.

Objective: To test whether condition 5 score (C5S) and condition 6 score (C6S) of the sensory organization test of computerized dynamic platform posturography (CDPP) differ between vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients with and without vestibular symptoms.

Study Design: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data.

Setting: Tertiary academic referral center.

Clinical and radiologic sequelae of the middle fossa approach to the internal auditory canal.

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to characterize the postoperative nonneurotologic complications and radiologic findings after the middle fossa approach to the internal auditory canal (IAC). A grading system for computed tomography (CT) changes was developed.

Study Design: Sixty-two patients operated between 2000 and 2003 had CT scans of the head on the day after surgery.