Cost considerations for vestibular schwannoma screening and imaging: a systematic review

AbstractVestibular schwannomas (VS) account for approximately 8% of all intracranial neoplasms. Importantly, the cost of the diagnostic workup for VS, including the screening modalities most commonly used, has not been thoroughly investigated. Our aim is to conduct a systematic review of the published literature on costs associated with VS screening. A systematic review of the literature for cost of VS treatment was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The terms “vestibular schwannoma,” “acoustic neuroma,” and “cost” were queried using the PubMed and Embase databases. Studies from all countries were considered. Cost was then corrected for inflation using the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Inflation Calculator, correcting to April 2022. The search resulted in an initial review of 483 articles, of which 12 articles were included in the final analysis. Screening criteria were used for non-neurofibromatosis type I and II patients who complained of asymmetric hearing loss, tinnitus, or vertigo. Patients included in the studies ranged from 72 to 1249. The currency and inflation-adjusted mean cost was $418.40 (range, $21.81 to $487.03,n = 5) for auditory brainstem reflex and $1433.87 (range, $511.64 to $1762.15,n = 3) for non-contrasted computed tomography. A contrasted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan was found to have a median cost of $913.27 (range, $172.25 –$2733.99;n = 8) where...
Source: Neurosurgical Review - Category: Neurosurgery Source Type: research