The quality of life of patients with vestibular schwannoma assessed using cross-cultural adapted and validated PANQOL and Mayo VSQOL questionnaires in comparison

Introduction: Vestibular schwannoma (VS) adversely affects patients’ functional status and quality of life (QoL). Disease-specific questionnaires, such as PANQOL and Mayo VSQOL, provide a more sensitive assessment of disease progression and treatment outcomes compared with general instruments. Modern microsurgical techniques aim to preserve facial and cochlear nerve function, which directly influences postoperative QoL. Objective: To evaluate the QoL of patients with VS using the Ukrainian versions of PANQOL and Mayo VSQOL questionnaires and to validate them according to COSMIN standards. Materials and methods: The prospective study included 190 patients with VS, divided into three groups: Group I (n=64) — traditional microsurgery (2001–2016); Group II (n=57) — modern microsurgical techniques (2017–2024); Group III (n=69) — observation (“wait-and-scan”). QoL was assessed using PANQOL, Mayo VSQOL, SF-36, QLQ-C30, and BN20 questionnaires. Correlation analysis was performed; statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Mayo VSQOL scores were significantly higher in Group II compared with Group I in the domains of balance (+33.3%), tinnitus/pain (+36.4%), emotional well-being (+43.1%), memory (+58.4%), and total score (+32.2%). Comparison with Group III also confirmed the advantage of surgical treatment, particularly in emotional well-being and memory (+44.3%). PANQOL demonstrated the greatest improvement in the “Face” domain (+35.6%), while changes in other domains were not statistically significant. Significant correlations were found between PANQOL and Mayo VSQOL results with SF-36, QLQ-C30, and BN20, confirming their validity. Internal consistency was high (PANQOL α=0.75–0.93 preoperatively; α=0.81–0.90 postoperatively; Mayo α=0.763–0.938 preoperatively; α=0.858–0.937 postoperatively). Test–retest reliability (ICC) ranged from 0.60–0.91 for PANQOL and 0.778–0.953 for Mayo. Mayo VSQOL demonstrated higher responsiveness to clinical changes (Cohen’s d=2.11; SRM=1.74) compared with PANQOL (Cohen’s d=0.87; SRM=0.75). Conclusions: PANQOL and Mayo VSQOL are reliable instruments for assessing QoL in patients with VS. Mayo VSQOL demonstrated higher sensitivity, while PANQOL showed stable correlation with general QoL scales. The use of modern microsurgical techniques substantially improves postoperative QoL in VS patients.