A case of mediastinal schwannoma originating in the right phrenic nerve
Yokote, K.; Osada, H.; Taira, Y.; Kurisu, S.; Noguchi, T.; Shinagawa, T.
Nihon Kyobu Geka Gakkai 35(6): 881-885
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0369-4739 PMID: 3655453 Document Number: 288984
A 34-year-old asymptomatic male patient presented with an abnormal mass shadow on chest X-ray taken for regular medical examination. PA chest film showed a round homogeneous mass, 3.0 cm in diameter, located in contact with the right cardiac border. With preoperative diagnosis of a benign pulmonary tumor, right thoracotomy was carried out on August 7, 1985, when an encapsulated tumor originating in the right phrenic nerve was found which was subsequently removed by resecting the nerve. Pathologically the resected mass revealed to be a benign schwannoma. Neurogenic tumor of the intrathoracic phrenic nerve are only infrequently encountered. To our knowledge five such cases have previously been reported in the Japanese literature. Neither of these cases nor ours had remarkable respiratory distress after resection of the tumor. In the light of the fact that malignant schawannoma or sarcoma has been known to occur among neurogenic tumors originating in the vagus nerve complete resection would be the treatment of choice for the phrenic nerve schwannoma as well.