Hsiang-Yi Hunga, Tzu-Yung Chenb, c, Ming-Hsun Lid, Shin-Yuan Chena, c, Sheng-Tzung Tsaia, c
a Department of Neurosurgery, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
b Department of Neurosurgery, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
c School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
d Department of Pathology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
Abstract
Spinal schwannomas are intradural nerve sheath tumors typically located in a dorsolateral or ventrolateral position. Clinical presentations vary from radicular root pain to cord compression myelopathy. Prognosis is usually benign if the tumor can be removed safely. A 62-year-old man had myelopathy and incontinence due to a midline ventral intradural-extramedullary tumor of the thoracic spinal cord. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated that the tumor was movable and connected with one root. The tumor was removed with a unilateral costotransversectomy with a posterior approach. Histological diagnosis revealed a schwannoma. Magnetic resonance imaging is a prerequisite to differentiate a ventral and midline intradural spinal schwannoma from other tumors preoperatively. A posterior approach is an efficient and effective method of treating a purely ventral thoracic schwannoma with significant cord compression.
Keywords
Schwannoma; Spinal cord; Surgery