Treated large posterior fossa vestibular schwannoma and meningioma: Hearing outcome and willingness‐to‐accept brain implant for unilateral deafness

Abstract

Abstract Background/Objective To compare functional hearing and tinnitus outcomes in treated large (~ 3 cm) vestibular schwannoma (VS) and posterior fossa meningioma cohorts, and construct willingness‐to‐accept profiles for an experimental brain implant to treat unilateral hearing loss. Methods A two‐way MANOVA model with two independent variables (tumor type; time from treatment) and three dependent variables (hearing effort of tumor ear; abbreviated Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing scale (SSQ12); Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI)) was used to analyze data from VS (N = 32) and meningioma (N = 50) patients who were treated at a tertiary care center between 2010 and 2020. A query to probe acceptance of experimental treatment for hearing loss relative to expected benefit was used to construct willingness‐to‐accept profiles. Results Tumor type was statistically significant on the combined dependent variables analysis (F[3, 76] = 19.172, p 2 years) (p ≤ .017). At the 60% speech understanding level, 77% of respondents would accept an experimental brain implant. Conclusion Hearing outcome is better for posterior fossa meningioma compared to VS. Most patients with hearing loss in the tumor ear would consider a brain implant if the benefit level would be comparable to a cochlear implant. Level of Evidence 2

Keywords

• hearing
• meningioma
• tinnitus
• vestibular schwannoma
• willingness‐to‐accept