Lateral Cervical Approach Combined With Posterior Thoracotomy for the Treatment of Giant Neurilemmoma of the Chest Involving the Neck

Abstract

h Neurilemmomas (also known as schwannomas or neurinomas) are benign tumors arising from the perineural cells located in the peripheral nerve sheath. They were first described by Verocay in 1908. About one third of neurilemmomas occur in the head and neck region, arising from the nerve sheath of the sympathetic nerve, facial nerve, vagus nerve, glossopharyngeal nerve, cervical spinal roots, and brachial plexus. Ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the most useful imaging tests in diagnosis. Although neurilemmomas are relatively common tumors, we can find very few cases of giant thoracic neurilemmomas with extrathoracic and cervical extension.