An allograft mouse model for the study of hearing loss secondary to vestibular schwannoma growth.

Vestibular schwannoma is a benign neoplasm arising from the Schwann cell sheath of the auditory-vestibular nerve. It most commonly affects both sides in the genetic condition Neurofibromatosis type 2, causing progressive high frequency sensorineural hearing loss. Here, we describe a microsurgical technique and stereotactic coordinates for schwannoma cell grafting in the vestibular nerve region that recapitulates local tumor growth in the cerebellopontine angle and inner auditory canal with resulting hearing loss. Tumor growth was monitored by bioluminescence and MRI in vivo imaging, and hearing assessed by auditory brainstem responses. These techniques, by potentially enabling orthotopic grafting of a variety of cell lines will allow studies on the pathogenesis of tumor-related hearing loss and preclinical drug evaluation, including hearing endpoints, for NF2-related and sporadic schwannomas.