Establishment of Nomogram for Prediction of Hearing Preservation after Retrosigmoid Approach in Patients with Vestibular Schwannoma

ObjectiveTo derive and validate a prognostic nomogram for the prediction of hearing preservation (HP) after retrosigmoid approach (RSA) in patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS) and further assist in clinical decision-making.Study DesignRetrospective study.SettingTertiary referral center.PatientsA total of 111 patients diagnosed with VS with serviceable hearing from January 2013 to March 2023.InterventionsAll patients underwent surgery via RSA, and hearing outcomes were reviewed 2 weeks postoperatively.Main Outcome MeasuresPreoperative and postoperative hearing were analyzed and stratified according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS).ResultsIn multivariate analysis of the primary group, preoperative hearing, tumor size, and tumor origin were significantly related to postoperative HP (p = 0.029, p = 0.043, and p = 0.018, respectively). Factors derived from the multivariate analysis were all assembled into the nomogram. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed good predictive accuracy of the nomogram model in both primary and validation groups with area under the ROC curve (AUC) values of 0.802 and 0.797, respectively.ConclusionIndependent predictors of postoperative HP in patients with VS were selected to create the nomogram. The nomogram was able to stratify patients into different risk groups and assist in clinical decision making.