Secretory cervical schwannoma: first of its kind

Schwannomas arising from cervical sympathetic chain are rare benign neoplasms which are slow growing, usually asymptomatic, biochemically non-secretory and functionally inactive tumours. We present a case of secretory schwannoma arising from the cervical sympathetic chain, causing hypertension and associated with raised urinary catecholamine degradation by-products. Transcervical excision of the tumour was followed by normalisation of blood pressure and urinary vanillylmandelic acid levels and pathologically the tumour was proved to be a schwannoma.