Ear, Nose, and Throat Diseases

Nervous System Diseases

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Vestibulocochlear Nerve Diseases

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Schwannoma

Acoustic Neuroma

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Neuroepithelioma

Patients undergoing a translabyrinthine approach for vestibular schwannoma resection will have the health of their auditory nerve monitored during tumor dissection. If the auditory nerve is visually confirmed to be intact, then concurrent cochlear implantation will be performed.

The Auditory Nerve Test System provides an electrically-evoked signal from within the cochlea to facilitate intraoperative auditory nerve monitoring. The auditory nerve can be measured both at the root entry zone of the brainstem (eCNAP) and with scalp electrodes (eABR). Data on the health of the auditory nerve will be collected immediately prior to tumor dissection, during tumor dissection, and immediately after tumor dissection. The main purpose of this study is to determine feasibility of this novel intraoperative monitoring protocol.

Secondarily, if the auditory nerve is visually confirmed to be intact following tumor resection then the patients will receive a cochlear implant during the same surgery.

Auditory Nerve Test System

Cameron C Wick, MD

The Auditory Nerve Test System (ANTS) is a novel device that stimulates the auditory nerve much like a cochlear implant. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate feasibility of the ANTS during translabyrinthine surgery for vestibular schwannoma resection. If the auditory nerve is kept intact, then the patients will also receive a cochlear implant at the same time potentially alleviating the morbidities caused by a vestibular schwannoma and asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss.

Many patients diagnosed with a vestibular schwannoma (also called acoustic neuroma) eventually lose hearing in the afflicted ear. Improvements in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have led to tumors being diagnosed at smaller sizes, however, this has not changed the eventual demise in hearing for most patients. Hearing loss leads to tinnitus, poor sound localization, difficulty hearing in background noise, and imbalance all of which contribute to the decreased quality of life associated with a vestibular schwannoma diagnosis.

Some tumors may be resected while maintaining the integrity of the auditory nerve. When a patient has hearing, the health of the auditory nerve can be monitored during the surgery through auditory-evoked (sound) measurements. When a patient has already lost their hearing or the surgical approach sacrifices all residual hearing, then auditory-evoked measurements can no longer be used and there is no way to monitor the auditory nerve aside from visual inspection.

The Auditory Nerve Test System (ANTS) is a novel device designed to facilitate electrically-evoked auditory nerve monitoring. The ANTS is comprised of three parts: a test electrode, connector cable, and stimulator box. The test electrode functions like a mini-cochlear implant placed within the cochlea during a translabyrinthine surgery. During tumor resection the test electrode electrically stimulates the auditory nerve allowing surgeons to monitor electrophysiologic data on the health of the auditory nerve. The primary goal of this study is to assess the ANTS during translabyrinthine vestibular schwannoma resections.

If patient are able to maintain an intact auditory nerve following vestibular schwannoma resection then a cochlear implant will be placed during the same surgery. Secondary outcomes measures will investigate cochlear implant outcomes and patient quality of life following this procedure and over the first year of using their cochlear implant. These secondary outcomes will be measured at 3-months, 6-months, and 12-months following cochlear implant activation. The test will assess how well the cochlear implant is working, the cochlear implant's impact on sound localization and hearing in background noise, and finally various aspects relevant to the patient's quality of life (tinnitus, balance, hearing, and overall quality of life).

Single arm study of 10 patients with no serviceable hearing due to small or medium sized vestibular schwannomas undergoing translabyrinthine resection.

Auditory Nerve Test System During Vestibular Schwannoma Resection

Feasibility of Auditory Nerve Test System for Optimization of Simultaneous Translabyrinthine Vestibular Schwannoma Resection With Cochlear Implantation

Reliability of electrically-evoked direct auditory nerve monitoring at the brainstem (eCNAP) and far-field auditory brainstem response (eABR). The auditory nerve signal will be monitored before, during, and after vestibular schwannoma resection. Elements like signal amplitude, latency, and preservation of eABR waveforms III and V will be measured.

Speech performance measured in the CI-only condition using CNC Words, AzBio Sentences in Quiet, and AzBio Sentences in +10 dB SNR.

Using an audio booth that contains a sound arc, patients will be asked to identify where a sound is coming from in the implant-on and implant-off conditions. This ability to localize is measured with a root-mean-square (RMS) error rate.

Diagnosis and treatment of vestibular schwannomas can impact multiple aspects of a patient's quality of life. Using patient-reported outcome measures these aspects will be measured throughout their treatment course. The specific questionnaires will be: Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing (SSQ), Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults (HHIA), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Penn Acoustic Neuroma Quality of Life (PANQOL), Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL).

Washington University School of Medicine

Assistant Professor

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