Giant benign esophageal schwannoma requiring esophagectomy

Benign esophageal schwannomas are rare tumors with only 14 cases reported in the English literature. All previous reports describe excision without major esophageal resection. We report the case of a 33-year-old woman with a giant esophageal schwannoma that required total thoracic esophagectomy.     

Giant oesophageal schwannoma

Oesophageal schwannoma is an extremely rare benign tumour of the oesophagus and only about 30 cases have been reported thus far in the English literature. We report a case of oesophageal schwannoma in a 33‐year‐old woman who presented with symptoms of dysphagia and chronic cough. Most of the earlier reports on oesophageal schwannomas describe local excision of the tumour without major oesophageal resection. Here, we describe a giant oesophageal schwannoma where a major oesophageal resection was necessary for this benign condition. The patient was healthy and free of tumor recurrence 15 months after the operation.     

Giant foot schwannoma.

Schwannoma of the foot is rare; only 12 cases have been reported. A schwannoma is a benign neurogenic tumour derived from Schwann cells. The diagnosis is often delayed because the symptoms are mainly those of compression disorders. We describe a 7cm schwannoma of the heel in a 30-year-old man. Ten years earlier a schwannoma was removed from the same site. The recurrent lesion was widely excised and a medial plantar flap was used to repair the heel.     

Giant schwannoma of the back

We treated a patient with giant schwannoma of the back. The tumor measured 35 × 25 × 12 cm and weighted 1840 g. Histological diagnosis was benign schwannoma. To our knowledge, there is no previous report of such a large schwannoma of the back. Received: 24 February 1998     

Giant esophageal lipoma

A case of a giant esophageal pedunculated lipoma diagnosed in a 67-year-old male patient with recent onset of dysphagia is reported. Following the initial endoscopic and radiologic evaluation, the diagnosis was suspected by endo-ultrasonography and confirmed by histopathology. The treatment consisted of an esophagotomy with submucosal resection, through a left sided cervical incision. The review of the literature confirmed the rarity of this neoplasm, and the difficulty of a correct preoperative diagnosis, since a possible progression to squamous carcinoma has been demonstrated.     

Giant esophageal lipoma

Esophageal lipomas are uncommon benign tumors. The main symptom of this type of tumor is dysphagia due to esophageal obstruction. The diagnostic studies of choice are endoscopy, radiological investigation with contrast administration, computed tomography, and echoendoscopy. We present an unusual case of giant pediculated esophageal lipoma which manifested clinically with dysphagia. Management was surgical.     

Giant asymptomatic left atrial myxoma

The classic triad of myxoma clinical presentation is characterized by intracardiac obstruction, embolisms, and constitutional symptoms with fever, weight loss, or symptoms resembling connective tissue disease. Giant myxoma without symptoms are very rare. We present a case of a 30-year-old female with a giant asymptomatic myxoma in the left atrium, discovered by echocardiography. The patient was asymptomatic.     

Giant schwannoma of the medial plantar nerve

In this article the authors present an exceptionally rare case of giant schwannoma of the foot in a 23 year old male. This article demonstrates the key principles of investigation and management of such cases as conducted by a regional sarcoma centre.     

Giant schwannoma of upper esophagus requiring esophagectomy

Esophageal schwannoma is rare and it is difficult preoperatively to confirm a diagnosis, even using current imaging techniques. We present a 30-year-old woman with progressive dysphagia for six months. Chest imaging showed an upper mediastinal mass (right paratracheal region). Computed Tomography (CT) showed a soft tissue mass in tracheoesophageal groove with compression of esophageal lumen. Peroperatively, esophageal mass became evident. Esophagectomy was necessitated because of large size of the tumor, mucosal involvement (endoscopic finding) and lack of definitive preoperative diagnosis. Subsequently a colonic bypass was done. The patient had no postoperative complications.     

Giant cauda equina schwannoma. A case report

STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVES: To present a rare case of a giant schwannoma of the cauda equina. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Giant spinal schwannoma of the cauda equina, which involves many nerve roots, is rare and there is usually no ossification in the schwannoma. It is unknown whether or not complete excision is preferable if the tumor is located in the lumbar lesion. METHODS: A 57-year-old woman had a 10-year history of low back pain. Scalloping of the posterior surface of the vertebral bodies from L3 to the sacrum was found. Magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a giant cauda equina tumor with multiple cysts. Central ossification revealed by computed tomography and an unusual myelogram made the preoperative diagnosis difficult. RESULTS: The patient underwent incomplete removal of the tumor, decompression of cysts, and spinal reconstruction. The tumor was proved to be a schwannoma. The postoperative course was uneventful and she has been almost free from low back pain for 3 years and 4 months. CONCLUSIONS: Giant schwannoma in the lumbar spine region is usually excised incompletely, because complete removal had the risk of sacrificing many nerve roots. In spite of the incomplete removal of the tumor, the risk of recurrence is low.