Jugular foramen schwannoma in a child treated with complete surgical excision.
BACKGROUND
A rare case of a large jugular foramen tumour presenting as a posterior fossa mass is described.


METHODS
The patient, a 13-year-old boy presented with symptoms of raised intracranial pressure and on MRI imaging demonstrated the tumour origin within the jugular foramen, with appearances suggestive of schwannoma. He underwent a complete excision as a single-stage procedure thorough a lateral suboccipital craniotomy with minimal morbidity. Histology confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma (WHO I). Jugular foramen schwannoma is virtually unheard of in the paediatric population.


CONCLUSIONS
The differential diagnosis of a jugular foramen tumour includes tumours of the glomus jugulare, meningiomas, schwannomas, myxomas and chondrosarcomas. The imaging characteristics are important when considering this differential diagnosis.
Sangra
Meharpal
M
Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK. rsangra@doctors.org.uk
Mallucci
Conor
C
Pizer
Barry
B
D000293:Adolescent; D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005925:Glomus Jugulare Tumor / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015192:Infratentorial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007601:Jugular Veins; D008297:Male; D008579:Meningioma / Q000473:pathology; D009232:Myxoma / Q000473:pathology; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009777:Occipital Bone; D010579:Petrous Bone; D016896:Treatment Outcome