title: Vagus nerve schwannoma in the parapharyngeal space: surgical, histological and immunohistochemical aspects. A case report.
abstract: Tumors of the parapharyngeal space are rare accounting approximately for 0.5% of all head and neck tumors. In the retrostyloid space, schwannomas are a more common finding, in contrast to other tumors. Usually, they present with a variety of slight symptoms until they grow in size and compress surrounding organs. Surgical treatment of parapharyngeal space tumors is difficult; due to the anatomical complex area, they develop in, and include several approaches, according to its size and relations. In this paper, we present a case of a 63-year-old female with a vagus nerve schwannoma in the parapharyngeal space. Beside the surgical difficulties, the resected tumor had a peculiar histopathological aspect (large areas of degeneration and atypia and little typical palisading) that compelled a thorough histological and immunohistochemical evaluation for positive and differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania; ibulescu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vlad Andrei
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Budu
authors.forename: Ioan Alexandru
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Bulescu
authors.forename: Cristiana Gabriela
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Popp
authors.forename: Bogdan Constantin
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Mocanu
authors.forename: Carmen Aurelia
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mogoantă
mesh_terms: D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009423:Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D009418:S100 Proteins