Vestibular schwannoma and fitness to fly.
Aviat Space Environ Med
; 81(10): 961-4, 2010 Oct.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20922889
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
When a pilot is referred for vestibular schwannoma (VS), his or her fitness to fly may be questioned. The objective of this retrospective study was to describe a series of VS cases in a pilot population and to discuss their fitness to fly options.METHODS:
Between September 2002 and March 2010, the ENT/Head and Neck Surgery Department of the National Pilot Expertise Center conducted nearly 120,000 expert consultations for 40,000 pilots. We examined the files of 10 pilots who were referred to our 2 national experts for VS.RESULTS:
At the time of the expert consultation, hypoacusis was present in nine cases (four with total deafness), tinnitus in one case, and vertigo in nine cases. In our series, only 2 of the 10 pilots experienced a negative impact on their fitness to fly.DISCUSSION:
Decisions on fitness to fly were based on several factors minimally disturbed audition, i.e., less than a 35-dB hearing loss with a good speech discrimination score; good balance, i.e., no reported difficulties; no spontaneous nystagmus recorded on videonystagmography (VNG); no postural deviation; and a normal head-shaking test. The delay and the VS's evolution between diagnosis and expert consultation are important because the selection of a treatment to control VS is critical in minimizing the possible associated complications. When a pilot is referred for VS, his or her fitness to fly is determined by the size of the tumor, balance, auditory status, and the follow-up results of these findings. The complications that may arise from VS treatments must also be considered.
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Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Neuroma Acústico
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Medicina Aeroespacial
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Evaluación de la Discapacidad
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Aviat Space Environ Med
Año:
2010
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Francia