Enrico Martin

241 Current attitudes towards function preservation is separable (n = 1), and depending on tumor grade (n = 1). The largest proportion of surgeons would never resect less extensively in order to preserve function (42.1%), regardless of subspecialty (p>0.05). A smaller proportion would only resect less in case free margins are not presumed possible (36.1%). Table 1 Respondents’experience nad nerve handling. Variable Overall Oncologic Surgery Neuro- surgery Plastic Surgery Other Specialties P Number of participants 174 30 30 85 29 Experience 0-10 years 58 (38%) 8 (29%) 10 (37%) 31 (43%) 9 (36%) 0.585 10-20 years 56 (37%) 14 (50%) 10 (37%) 25 (35%) 7 (28%) 20+ years 38 (25%) 6 (21%) 7 (26%) 16 (22%) 9 (36%) Mean (SD) 15.64 (±9.31) 13.26 (±8.64) 13.49 (±9.81) 15.64 (±10.13) 0.603 PNS No 56 (37%) 21 (78%) 4 (15%) 23 (32%) 8 (32%) <0.001 Yes 95 (63%) 6 (22%) 23 (85%) 49 (68%) 17 (68%) Fellowships PNS 53 (35%) 1 (4%) 15 (56%) 23 (32%) 14 (56%) <0.001 Sarcoma 29 (19%) 23 (85%) 0 (0%) 4 (6%) 2 (8%) Other/none 84 (56%) 8 (30%) 12 (44%) 53 (74%) 11 (44%) Consider function preoperatively No 29 (35%) 7 (28%) 7 (39%) 9 (31%) 6 (54%) 0.403 Sometimes 7 (78%) 4 (16%) 2 (11%) 1 (3%) 0 (0%) Yes 47 (53%) 14 (56%) 9 (50%) 19 (66%) 5 (46%) Collaborate with PNS No 38 (46%) 8 (32%) 7 (39%) 14 (50%) 9 (82%) <0.001 Sometimes 20 (24%) 14 (56%) 1 (6%) 4 (14%) 1 (9%) Yes 24 (29%) 3 (12%) 10 (56%) 10 (36%) 1 (9%) Intraoperative nerve conduction test No 23 (28%) 13 (52%) 2 (12%) 5 (18%) 3 (27%) 0.023 Sometimes 22 (27%) 7 (28%) 3 (18%) 9 (32%) 3 (27%) Yes 36 (44%) 5 (20%) 12 (71%) 14 (50%) 5 (46%) Look for nerve of origin No 5 (6%) 2 (8%) 0 (0%) 2 (7%) 1 (9%) 0.539 Sometimes 16 (20%) 5 (20%) 4 (24%) 3 (11%) 4 (36%) Yes 60 (74%) 18 (72%) 13 (77%) 23 (82%) 6 (55%) Nerve end handling Nothing 15 (25%) 7 (29.2%) 3 (21%) 2 (12%) 3 (50%) 0.284 Bury 24 (39%) 11 (46%) 7 (50%) 4 (24%) 2 (33%) End closure 9 (15%) 4 (17%) 1 (7%) 3 (18%) 1 (17%) TMR 6 (10%) 1 (4%) 1 (7%) 4 (24%) 0 (0%) Other 7 (12%) 1 (4%) 2 (14%) 4 (24%) 0 (0%) PNS: peripheral nerve surgeon Intraoperative nerve handling In general, most respondents always look for the nerve of origin (74.1%, p>0.05, Table 1 ). Those who do not, question the relevance of the nerves from which MPNSTs originate. The largest proportion of surgeons (46.3%) never collaborates with a peripheral nerve surgeon when operating MPNSTs, while 29% of all respondents will always collaborate with one. The use of intraoperative nerve conduction testing (NCT) also differs significantly between subspecialties (p<0.05), generally surgical oncologists never use it (52.0%), while neurosurgeons most commonly responded ‘always’ (70.6%). 10