Reviewed on : 2 May 2016

Reviewed by : Peter Dekker, Consultant ENT Surgeon

Expires : 2 May 2018

If a vestibular schwannoma has been confirmed on MR imaging, the patient needs to be referred to UHB not UHCW.  Generally it would be a routine referral for small tumours under 1cm, elderly patients are also more likely to be monitored without active intervention.

Younger patients with larger tumors would need sooner referral especially if symptomatic – dizzy, facial numbness and if the tumour was expanding out of the IAM I would refer urgently but that is rare.  There is no one size fits all.  These tumours are also slow growing but you need exercise clinical judgement.