[A case of vagus nerve schwannoma in the middle mediastinum presenting with dyspnea].
A 67-year-old woman complaining of dyspnea was referred to our hospital because of an abnormal chest radiography shadow. Computed tomographic (CT) scans as well as magnetic resonance images (MRI) demonstrated a mid-mediastinal mass of 9 cm in diameter, surrounded by the superior vena cava (SVC), the ascending aorta, the azygos vein arch and the trachea at the subaortic level. The left main bronchus was stenotic, probably because of expansion of the tumor, which seemed to be the cause of the dyspnea. Routine examinations disclosed no metastatic or primary lesions elsewhere. The tumor was surgically resected. It measured 8 x 7 x 5 cm. The pathological diagnosis was benign vagus nerve Schwannoma, consisting of the histologies of both Antoni A and B types. We have reported this case because Schwannoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal tumors even when it occurs in the middle of the mediastinum.
Suga
Masayuki
M
First Department of Medicine, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, North 15, West 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan.
Oguri
Mituru
M
Konishi
Jyun
J
Nishimura
Masaharu
M
D000368:Aged; D003390:Cranial Nerve Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D008482:Mediastinum; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014630:Vagus Nerve