Criteria for preservation of vestibulocochlear nerve function during microsurgical removal of acoustic neurinomas.

A careful examination of the shape, location and course of the 8th cranial nerve in medium-sized and large tumours exhibits three distinct variants. In all cases where cochlear function was preserved, the type III variant (12%) in the cranial nerve tumour relationship was observed. The author's experience clearly indicates that, if a tumour is resected in toto, anatomical nerve continuity cannot be preserved in the type I and II variants (48%, respect. 40%). However, in the type I and II variants the patients invariably had preoperative hearing loss. The important criteria which must be considered in order to preserve cochlear function when extirpating acoustic neurinomas are an anatomically intact nerve, the origin of the tumour and its direction of spread, further more the shape, location and course of the 8th nerve components, the quality of preoperative cochlear nerve function, the pattern of vascularization of the statoacoustic nerve and the inner ear, and lastly, but not least a possible infiltration of the vestibular and/or cochlear nerves by the tumour itself. Objective hearing function could be preserved in 62% of small neurinomas (grade II) and 10% of large tumours (grades III and IV).