Objective:

To compare clinical and radiological outcomes of patients with vestibular schwannomas treated with either stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or microsurgery over an eleven-year period.

Approach:

• Study Design: Retrospective cohort study analyzing medical records and radiographs of patients treated for vestibular schwannomas from 2013 to 2024.
• Data Collection: Collected parameters included patient demographics, clinical symptoms, radiographic features, and treatment type.
• Statistical Analysis: Used IBM SPSS Statistics for analysis with appropriate statistical tests to assess significance.

Key Findings:

• SRS patients were older than microsurgery patients (mean age 59.47 vs. 52.36 years, p = 0.037).
• No significant differences in sexual distribution or preoperative facial weakness and hearing loss between groups (p = 0.740).
• Microsurgery patients had a higher occurrence of brainstem compression (p = 0.017).
• Postoperative facial weakness and hearing loss showed no differences between treatment groups.
• Microsurgery resulted in significant tumor shrinkage (76.04%), while SRS patients demonstrated tumor stability or slight growth.

Interpretation:

Differences in outcomes between SRS and microsurgery for vestibular schwannomas were observed, particularly regarding tumor response and patient demographics.

Limitations:

• Retrospective design may introduce variability in documentation and data collection.
• Inconsistent availability of detailed SRS parameters and follow-up intervals.

Conclusion:

The findings indicate that tumor characteristics and patient demographics may influence treatment outcomes for vestibular schwannomas.