Unusual presentation of a posterior mediastinal schwannoma associated with chest pain, cough and dyspnea

Abstract

Neurogenic tumors (NT) are the most common of posterior mediastinal tumors, an 80% of all posterior mediastinal tumors are (NT). They originate from the spinal cord, sympathetic ganglia, or peripheral nerve roots. A Schwannoma is a slow-growing, encapsulated, and benign neurogenic tumor. Fewer than 9% of Schwannoma are located in the mediastinum. Posterior mediastinal Schwannoma originates from neural crest cells and typically from the intercostal nerves. Mediastinal Schwannoma is often asymptomatic but may present with unusual symptoms such as cough or dyspnea and hemoptysis because of pulmonary involvement. Although a definitive diagnosis is made by histopathology and immunohistochemically analysis, electron microscopy can be used to help item final diagnosis. We present a case of a benign posterior mediastinal Schwannoma, which is present in CXR and computed tomography (CT) imaging as a cystic lesion in a 58-year-old woman who was admitted to our hospital with back pain, cough, hemoptysis, and dyspnea.