Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2008 Jun;51(6):552-555.

A Case of Schwannoma Arising in Pterygopalatine Fossa

• Mun SK
• Cho HS
• Do YK
• Hong YH

Abstract

Schwannoma, also referred to as neurilemmoma, is an encapsulated benign soft tissue tumor arising from the schwann cells of the nerve sheath. Although 25 to 45% of schwannomas arise in the head and neck region, pterygopalatine fossa is the rarest sites of involvement with only 23 cases reported in the medical literature. It is usually seen in the second and fifth decades, but sex or racial predilection has not been noted. Clinical features of this tumor are dependent on the involved anatomical site, nerve of origin, and compression of adjacent structures. The differential diagnosis of masses in pterygopalatine fossa includes angiofibroma, fibrous histiocytoma, malignant melanoma, lymphoma, and low-grade rhabdomyosarcoma. The treatment of choice is that the tumor is completely removed with careful preservation of its nerve. Recently, the authors experienced a case of schwannoma arising in pterygopalatine fossa, which was removed with transantral approach. Hence, we report a rare case with a review of literature.

Keyword

Schwannoma; Pterygopalatine fossa

MeSH Terms

Angiofibroma
Diagnosis, Differential
Head
Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous
Lymphoma
Melanoma
Neck
Neurilemmoma
Pterygopalatine Fossa
Rhabdomyosarcoma
Schwann Cells