[A case of schwannoma of the chest wall showing a bead-like appearance in MRI].
A 31-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of a chest X-ray abnormality. Computed tomography showed an extra-pulmonary mass along the left 8th rib. T1-weighed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass lesion with intermediate signal intensity. T2-weighed MRI showed a high signal intensity in peripheral and multiple central portions with intermediate signal intensity, which yielded a bead-like appearance. Gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced T1-weighted MRI showed marked contrast enhancement in the central zone of the mass. En bloc resection of the mass with the left 8th rib was performed. The tumor resembled a rosary in gross appearance, and histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a benign schwannoma arising from the intercostal nerve. The bead-like appearance in the MRI was unique and had never been reported before for such a tumor. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient has been well for eighteen months.
Department of Respiratory Medicine, International Medical Center of Japan, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan.
Etsu
E
Tsuzuki
Mitsuhiro
M
Kamimura
Nobuyuki
N
Kobayashi
Koichiro
K
Kudo
Takatomo
T
Morita
Kanehiro
K
Hasuo
Hitoshi
H
Niino
D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D035441:Thoracic Wall; D016896:Treatment Outcome