title: Extracranial head and neck schwannomas: a clinical analysis of 33 patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the clinical features, diagnosis, and management of the extracranial head and neck schwannomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical data of 33 patients with schwannoma of the head and neck from 1996 to 2006 were studied retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Extracranial head and neck schwannomas usually presented as solitary and well-demarcated lesions with insidious course. Although benign, the lesion can cause secondary symptoms, such as nasal obstruction, dysphasia, and hoarseness, relevant to location of the lesion. Fine needle aspiration cytology, computed tomography scans, and magnetic resonance imaging may provide limited implications in the diagnosis of schwannomas, whereas postoperative pathologic examination establishes the final diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Complete surgical excisions with appropriate approaches have proven to be efficient and successful in the treatment of head and neck schwannomas.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. mzhanghao@tom.com
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Changping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Shili
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huiru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yanfen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Xueming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001037:Aphasia / Q000209:etiology; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002648:Child; D004428:Ear Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006685:Hoarseness / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed