DefinePK

Abstract

Vestibular Schwannoma (VS), previously known asacoustic neuroma, constitutes the majority of tumoursfound in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). Mostguidelines for managing CPA tumours have beendeveloped by high-income countries (HICs). However,these guidelines often fall short in addressing the uniquechallenges encountered in low- and middle-incomecountries (LMICs), such as Pakistan. In LMICs, issuesrelated to a limited healthcare workforce, inadequateinfrastructure, and constrained financial resources hinderthe effective implementation of these HIC-derivedguidelines. Additionally, it has been observed that VStends to present at a larger size in LMICs compared toHICs. Given that VS is the predominant type of CPAtumour and other types are covered under separateguidelines, this article aims to provide practical, contextspecificrecommendations for the screening, diagnosis,and management of Vestibular Schwannoma in LMICsettings. Our focus is to bridge the gap in care strategiesand adapt them to the resource constraints and clinicalrealities of LMICs.Keywords: Neuroma, acoustic, cerebellopontine angle,health care, vestibular schwannoma, radiosurgery,tumours