A rare presentation of Intralaryngeal Schwannoma and the study of 50 cases of intralaryngeal Schwannoma from the literature

Abstract

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Laryngeal schwannoma is a rare, slow-growing, benign neurogenic tumour usually located in the aryepiglottic folds. The aim is to report a rare case of laryngeal schwannoma and to review 50 cases of a similar entity from the literature in terms of age, sex, presenting symptoms, site, size, the nerve of origin, mode of surgery and outcome.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> A retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, in a tertiary care centre along with a review of cases from the literature.<strong> </strong>A detailed description of the case of laryngeal schwannoma in a 20-year-old patient, who presented with difficulty in swallowing, dyspnoea and hoarseness in the voice to the department of otorhinolaryngology will be given. Along with the data on a comprehensive literature search on about 50 cases of laryngeal schwannomas. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Out of the 50 cases, 54% were females and the majority of the cases were above the age of 55 years. Aryepiglottic folds were the common site of tumours (38%). Other sites where the tumour was found included the false cords, true vocal cords, ventricle, arytenoids, epiglottis, post cricoid region, trachea, and thyroid gland. All cases were treated surgically.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Laryngeal schwannomas are rare, nerve sheath tumours usually located in the supraglottic larynx. The surgical approach depends on the site, size and extent of the tumour. Sparing the parental nerve depends on the size of the tumour and the nerve of origin.</p>