Gamma knife radiosurgery for vestibular schwannomas.

Radiosurgery is a surgical procedure associated with minimal functional morbidity and allows patients to return rapidly to their previous level of activity. Most tumors regress in volume with extended follow-up, and the rare occurrence of tumor growth after radiosurgery seems to occur early. Similarly, cranial neuropathy or other neurologic symptoms after irradiation occur within the first few years and are usually mild and transient. Current results indicate a low rate of cranial neuropathy (lower than with any other technique). Useful hearing preservation in patients with NF2 seems to be an attainable goal with more sophisticated radiosurgery techniques. We anticipate the increased use of stereotactic radiosurgery for patients with vestibular schwannomas as more and more smaller sized tumors are identified.