Intraosseous schwannoma of thoracic 12 vertebra without spinal canal involvement

Schwannomas are common tumors of the nerve sheath cells. They present as well-circumscribed masses attached to the peripheral nerves, cranial nerves, or spinal nerve roots. Intraosseous localization of these tumors is rare. The presented case is a 55-year-old female patient, the very first case of intraosseous schwannoma of Th12 vertebra without spinal canal involvement. She was admitted with a progressive back pain and seldom pain and numbness in the right leg for 1 year. Preoperative findings on computed tomography and magnetic resonance images of the lesion resembled that of any primary tumor of the bone. The patient was operated on via posterior approach and the tumor was removed totally. Histopathological examinations revealed schwannoma. Our case emphasizes the heterogeneous presentation of the nerve sheath cell tumors in the differential diagnosis of the primary vertebral column tumors.