Effect of Corticosteroids on Facial Function after Cerebellopontine Angle Tumor Removal: A Double-Blind Study versus Placebo

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of corticosteroids administered intra- and postoperatively on the occurrence of facial palsy after a cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor resection, and to investigate pre- and intraoperative prognostic factors. A multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind and versus-placebo study was conducted between 2006 and 2010. Three hundred and ten patients operated on for a CPA tumor (96% vestibular schwannomas, 4% miscellaneous) were included by five participating centers. The population was stratified into patients with small (≤15 mm CPA on axial MRI views) and large tumors. In each group, patients were randomized to receive corticosteroid (1 mg/kg/day i.v. methylprednisolone intraoperatively and at postoperative days 1-5) or placebo. Steroids did not affect the facial function at postoperative days 1, 8 and 30 in patients with small or large tumors as evaluated by House and Brackmann grading.