[Chronic sciatic pain caused by sciatic nerve schwannoma].
Schwannomas are tumors with slowly progressive symptoms, more often painful than associated with neurologic deficits. Involvement of the sciatic nerve mimics chronic sciatic pain due to a herniated disk. If there is no lumbar pain and lumbar MRI is normal, the sciatic nerve must be clinically and radiologically examined all along its course. We report a patient with chronic sciatica in whom physical examination revealed a painful mass with a Tinel sign in her back thigh. MRI showed a multilobular mass along the sciatic nerve. Surgery of this plexiform schwannoma allowed a complete relief from pain.
Blanchard
C
C
Service de neurologie, hôpital d'instruction des armées Clermont-Tonnerre, rue du Colonel-Fontferrier, 29240 Brest Naval, France. christian.blanchard@dbmail.com
Dam-Hieu
P
P
Zagnoli
F
F
Bellard
S
S
D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D010524:Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D020426:Sciatic Neuropathy / Q000150:complications*; D012585:Sciatica / Q000209:etiology*