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Imaging for vestibular schwannoma in the old: practice versus reason. Predictors of disease progression after endoscopic sinus surgery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 August 2019

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Abstract

Type
Editorial
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited, 2019 

Bang in the middle of the summer with the August sun at its prime and holidays to enjoy we publish in this issue a paper that puts together evidence for what many of us already know but may have felt unable to act upon. Learning through custom and practice is of course no longer enough, the level of evidence now rightly makes for what can be accepted. Basu, Youngs and Mitchell-InnesReference Basu, Youngs and Mitchell-Innes1 have done a systematic review on screening for vestibular schwannoma in the context of an ageing population and show that while the weighted yield of MRI in diagnosis of vestibular schwannoma in all ages is 1.18 percent that is to say approximately 85 scans are required to make one diagnosis; the nature of the disease may be different past the age of 70 so that a more nuanced policy on the use of MRI would be more appropriate. The authors show that these tumours in patients over 70 are slower growing and tend to be of smaller size than those in younger patients so that with considerations of life expectancy and the improbability of active treatment in the form of stereotactic radiotherapy or even surgery a rational approach on the use of MRI as a screening tool is required. One accepts that non-imaging screening protocols for vestibular schwannoma are inadequateReference Hentschel, Scholte, Steens, Kunst and Rovers2,Reference Forgues, Metha, Anderson, Morel, Miller and Sevy3 and that cost effectiveness of a non-contrast screening MRI protocol for vestibular schwannoma for all ages in patients with asymmetrical sensorineural hearing loss may be appropriate.Reference Crowson, Rocke, Hoang, Weismann and Kaylie4

Chronic rhinosinusitis is a common disease and occasionally requires endoscopic sinus surgery. Tsuzuki et al Reference Tsuzuki, Hashimoto, Okazaki, Nishikawa and Kakagami5 look at predictors of disease progression after endoscopic sinus surgery and show that eosinophilic cases deteriorate over time and that frontal sinus polyp recurred early in these cases, so that the young adult with asthma, a high computer tomography score and frontal sinus polyp signify adverse outcomes. The three most recommended papers on outcomes of endoscopic sinus surgery show that although removal of polyps improves olfaction, the long-term results are hard to predict,Reference Knizek, Vodicka, Brothankova and Sheibalova6 that the long-term quality of life outcomes are goodReference Adnane, Adouly, Zouak and Mahtar7 and the impact of surgery on sleep outcomes show both statistical and clinical improvement.Reference Rotenberg and Pang8

References

1Basu, S, Youngs, R, Mitchell-Innes, A. Screening for vestibular schwannoma in the context of an ageing population. J Laryngol Otol 2019;133:640–49Google Scholar
2Hentschel, M, Scholte, M, Steens, S, Kunst, H, Rovers, M. The diagnostic accuracy of non-imaging screening protocols for vestibular schwannoma in patients with asymmetrical hearing loss and /or unilateral audiovestibular dysfunction: a diagnostic review and meta-analysis. Clin Otolaryngol 2017;42:815–23Google Scholar
3Forgues, M, Metha, R, Anderson, D, Morel, C, Miller, I, Sevy, A et al. Non-contrast magnetic resonance imaging for monitoring patients with acoustic neuroma. J Laryngol Otol 2018;132:780–85Google Scholar
4Crowson, MG, Rocke, DJ, Hoang, JK, Weismann, JL, Kaylie, DM. Cost effectiveness analysis of a non-contrast screening MRI protocol for vestibular schwannoma in patients with asymmetrical hearing loss. Neuroradiology 2017;59:727–36Google Scholar
5Tsuzuki, K, Hashimoto, K, Okazaki, K, Nishikawa, H, Kakagami, M. Predictors of disease progression after sinus endoscopic surgery in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. J Laryngol Otol 2019;133:678–84Google Scholar
6Knizek, Z, Vodicka, J, Brothankova, P, Sheibalova, H. Olfactory function in patients undergoing FESS for chronic rhinosinusitis. (Czech) Cas Lek Cesk 2017;156:187–91Google Scholar
7Adnane, C, Adouly, T, Zouak, A, Mahtar, . Quality of life outcomes after functional endoscopic sinus surgery for nasal polyposis. Am J Otolaryngol 2015;36:4551Google Scholar
8Rotenberg, BW, Pang, KP. The impact of sinus surgery on sleep outcomes. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2015; 5:329–32Google Scholar