The rare Schwannoma of the extracranial portion of the inferior alveolar nerve: Report of six cases

Abstract

AbstractAimSchwannomas of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) are extremely rare benign tumours most often occurring within the intraosseous mandible. The authors review our experience with schwannomas of the inferior alveolar nerve over a 20‐year period.Materials and MethodsRetrospective cohort series at an academic tertiary care medical centre.ResultsA total of six cases were found, three male and three females. Four patients were white and 2 of Asian ethnicity. The average age was 46.8 years (range 21–67). Three of the cases were asymptomatic and three cases presented with ipsilateral mental nerve paraesthesia. The most common location was within the intraosseous body of the posterior mandible (n = 4). Management was related to the anatomic site and was surgical in three cases, observational in two cases and one patient did not follow‐up for treatment. The major surgical morbidity was ipsilateral numbness of the lower lip.ConclusionsSchwannomas of the IAN are extremely rare benign tumours. Treatment options include complete surgical excision generally amenable to an intraoral approach. In cases in which patients are fearful of paraesthesia of the IAN/mental nerve, appropriate long‐term imaging can be used to follow those selected cases.