Change in tinnitus handicap after translabyrinthine vestibular schwannoma excision.

Objective: To evaluate the change in tinnitus handicap after translabyrinthine vestibular schwannoma excision.

Study Design: Prospective administration of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) preoperatively and at 3 and 12 months postoperatively.

Setting: : A tertiary referral neuro-otology clinic.

Patients: A total of 149 patients from a series of 170 consecutive patients who had vestibular schwannomas excised between May 1998 and July 2002 and who had completed THIs preoperatively and at 3 and 12 months postoperatively.

Interventions: Translabyrinthine excision of a unilateral sporadic vestibular schwannoma.

Main Outcome Measures: THI scores.

Results: The number of patients with moderate or severe handicap was 21 (14%) in the preoperative group and 21 (14%) in the 12-month postoperative group. No significant differences in group data were found comparing (by Wilcoxon signed rank test) preoperative data with 3 months postoperative data (p = 0.09), preoperative data with 12 months postoperative data (p = 0.09), and 3 months postoperative data with 12 months postoperative data (p = 0.33). Considering group data, tinnitus handicap is neither alleviated nor exacerbated by translabyrinthine surgery. The application of the validated 20-point criteria for significant change in the status of an individual patient indicates that tinnitus handicap was worse in 10 (6.5%), unchanged in 129 (87%), and better in 10 (6.5%).

Conclusions: The findings of the current study can be used during preoperative patient counseling. In particular, the clinician is now able to take an informed and positive stance about the tinnitus handicap to be expected postoperatively.