title: Ventral schwannoma of the thoracolumbar spine.
abstract: We report two patients with ventral schwannoma in the thoracolumbar region manifesting as low back pain with or without paraparesis. In both patients magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a heterogeneously-enhanced intradural extramedullary mass in the thoracolumbar region. The tumors were successfully removed via the posterior approach. Their histology was consistent with schwannoma. Postoperative MRI showed no evidence of a tumor in either patient. Spinal schwannomas are common benign intradural extramedullary spinal neoplasms; most arise from the dorsal- and very few from the anterior roots. A literature review revealed that ventral schwannomas, including giant tumors as in the one from case 2 in our study, affect mainly the cervical region, and most are surgically addressed via the posterior approach. Careful handling of the spinal cord is mandatory for satisfactory surgical results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamahata
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumikatsu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tokimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arita
keywords: Giant; Intradural lesion; Spinal schwannoma; Ventral schwannoma