Vestibular schwannomas with spontaneous shrinkage: about 35 cases

Purposes: The first aim is to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and radiological characteristics of regressive vestibular schwannomas (VS), based on volumetric measurements on MRI to define which regressions are significant. The secondary aim is to look for a correlation between a shrinkage of the tumor and the medical history, and the presence of clinical symptoms.

Methods: We first selected all patients presenting with a VS who underwent two or more MRI of the internal auditory canal on the same 3 T MRI machine retrospectively between January 2013 and June 2018. All MRI images were evaluated independently by two radiologists. The volumetric analysis was performed contrast-enhanced 2D spin-echo T1-weighted sequence and expressed in cubic centimeters.

Results: Thirty-five patients presented with a regressive VS on MRI (14%). The annual mean shrinkage rate was 0.08 cm³/year. Eighty percent of the patients present both a shrinkage by more than 0.01 cm³/year and a decrease of the initial tumor volume by more than 20%. The majority of patients are asymptomatic or presented moderate balance disorders, which remained stable or improved over time. Tinnitus was observed in 47% and was stable or improved in the majority of cases and the mean annual mean hearing loss was by < or = 4 dB/year.

Conclusion: Out of 247 VS, 14% decreased using follow-up (by > or = 2 MRI), and a spontaneous shrinkage greater than 0.01 cm³/year and greater than 20% could be considered significant.