Large esophageal schwannoma mimicking thyroid tumor with egg-shell calcification on preoperative ultrasonography

Abstract

Schwannoma tumors in esophagus are extremely rare and clinically present as dysphagia in most reported cases. Because of their rarity and need for histopathological confirmation using immunohistochemistry, an erroneous diagnostic and therapeutic approach can be adopted. A 36-year-old woman presented at the hospital with complaints of an anterior neck mass. On ultrasonography, a large left thyroid mass with egg-shell calcification was suspected. However, the thyroid surgeon found that it was not a thyroid tumor. An incision biopsy was performed for histopathological analysis, which revealed a schwannoma. Then, salivary leakage occurred through the cervical incision site, suggesting that the incisional biopsy had caused esophageal perforation. She was transferred to our department and underwent emergency surgery. We successfully resected the tumor and controlled the infection without any further injury to the esophagus, although it was a revision surgery and the wound was greatly infected. We believe that it is important to always keep in mind that an atypical presentation of esophageal schwannoma may lead to the development of, for example, a large nodule in the left thyroid gland involving the esophagus.