Objective: To assess preoperative psychological burden in patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS).
Methods: A total of 100 patients undergoing VS resection between September 2019 and June 2020 completed preoperative psychological screening. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was applied the day before surgery, and a score >14 was considered clinically important. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyzes were used to identify risk factors associated with increased preoperative psychological stress.
Results: Of the 100 patients who underwent VS resection, 44% were male, with a mean age of 45.9 years. Twenty-two (22%) had HADS scores >14. For the univariate analysis, risk factors associated with elevated psychological burden included time since diagnosis, number of symptoms, headache, vertigo, and nausea and/or vomiting. In the regression analysis, the number of symptoms and greater time from diagnosis to treatment correlated with higher preoperative psychological stress.
Conclusion: Nearly 1 in 4 patients with VS experienced clinically significant emotional burden preoperatively. Number of symptoms and greater time from diagnosis to treatment contributed to this psychological burden.
Keywords: microsurgical treatment; prevention; psychological burden; screening instrument; vestibular schwannoma.