Vestibular schwannoma
A vestibular schwannoma (also known as acoustic neuroma, acoustic neurinoma, or acoustic neurilemoma) is a benign, usually slow-growing cerebellopontine angle tumor that develops from the balance and hearing nerves supplying the inner ear. The tumor comes from an overproduction of Schwann cells.
They usually originate in the internal acoustic meatus, and gradually extends into the cerebellopontine cistern. Invasive growth into the petrous bone is extremely rare. This may have arisen because of an unusually peripheral site of origin on the vestibular nerve 1).
Epidemiology
see Vestibular schwannoma epidemiology.
Etiology
see Vestibular schwannoma etiology.
Classification
see Vestibular schwannoma classification.
Natural history
see Vestibular schwannoma natural history.
Pathology
Tumors are composed of Antoni A fibers (narrow elongated bipolar cells) and Antoni B fibers (loose reticulated). Verocay bodies are also seen, and consist of acellular eosinophilic areas surrounded by parallel arrangement of spindle shaped schwann cells (they are not a cell type).
Clinical
see Vestibular schwannoma clinical features.
Diagnosis
see Vestibular schwannoma diagnosis.
Scores
see Vestibular schwannoma scores.
Differential diagnosis
Cerebellopontine angle meningioma.
Cerebellopontine hemangioblastoma.
Gao S et al., reported a cerebellar glioblastoma multiforme patient, with his clinical presentations and imaging characteristics mimicking a vestibular schwannoma. To the best of authors knowledge, this is the first reported patient with cGBM mimicking a vestibular schwannoma 2).
Guidelines
see Vestibular schwannoma guidelines.
Treatment
see Vestibular schwannoma treatment.
Outcome
see Vestibular schwannoma outcome.
Meta-analysis
see Vestibular Schwannoma Meta-analysis
Case series
see Vestibular schwannoma case series.
Case reports
see Vestibular schwannoma case reports.