These functional outcome data provide much useful information to both patient and clinician to consider when contemplating the optimal course of AN management. Although virtually all acoustic neuroma patients have some degree of persistent symptoms over the long-term, the data indicates that most of these are attributable to the tumor itself as opposed to the after effects of its surgical removal. The relatively slight differences between preoperative and late postoperative symptom profiles was a rather unanticipated finding. As the degree of disability tends to increase with larger tumor sizes, these data tend to support a policy of early intervention.