Tuberc Respir Dis.  2007 Jul;63(1):78-82. 10.4046/trd.2007.63.1.78.

Two Cases of Benign Solitary Schwannoma with Pleural Effusion

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea. leemk@pusan.ac.kr
  • 2Diagnostic Radiology, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
  • 3Thoracic Surgery, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.

Abstract

Schwannoma represents approximately 40% of neurogenic tumors arising in the mediastinum, and develops along the sympathetic or parasympathetic chain, intercostals nerve, and spinal ganglia. It is usually asymptomatic, and is confronted accidentally but can produce chest pain, cough and dyspnea. However, dyspnea with pleural effusion is rare in patients with benign schwannoma. We encountered two cases of benign schwannoma with pleural effusion. Both cases had similar initial symptoms and the characteristics of a mass but the characteristics of pleural effusion analysis were different. The benign schwannoma was confirmed in two cases using VATS (video-assisted tharawswpic surgery).

Keyword

Schwannoma; Pleural effusion

MeSH Terms

Chest Pain
Cough
Dyspnea
Ganglia, Spinal
Humans
Mediastinum
Neurilemmoma*
Pleural Effusion*
Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted

Figure

  • Figure 1 (A) Posteroanterior chest radiograph shows large mass on right lower lung field. (B) Computed tomography shows bilateral pleural effusion and round-ovoid shaped mass on right paravertebral area. (C) Photomicrograph of the specimen. Palisading appearance of spindle cells are seen (H&E stain, ×100). (D) Tumor cells are uniformly reactive for S-100 (S-100 stain, ×100).

  • Figure 2 (A) Chest CT scan after drainage shows rounded huge mass in left paravertebral region. (B) Photomicrograph of the specimen. Schwannoma showing sharp partitioning of tumor into cellular Antoni A and myxoid Antoni B areas. Hypocellular zones have microcystic change and inflammatory cell infiltrations (H&E stain, ×100).


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