Schwannomas vestibulares quísticos: Premio Senior 42o Congreso Argentino de Neurocirugía

objective. to present our experience treating this rare tumor variant. material and method. retrospective evaluation of an institutional cystic vestibular schwannoma series, based on initial symptoms, rate of facial preservation, extent of surgical resection, postoperative complication rate and cystic lesion quantification on histology in comparison to solid tumor type. results. during the period june 1995-july 2010, 27 cystic schwannomas were operated on at the fleni neurological institute. mean tumor diameter was 29,6mm. the most frequent presenting symptoms included hypoacusia, unsteadiness and facial paresthesias. one year after surgery, 74% of patients presented facial function hb i-iii, showing no statistical diffe-rence in comparison to solid lesions. complete surgical resection was possible in 55, 5% of the cystic and 85% of the solid tumor groups, respectively. conclusion. cystic vestibular schwannomas should be identified separately from vestibular schwannomas in general, particularly because they often undergo more rapid expansion, and may present greater surgical risk as well as higher rates of postoperative complications.