Case report: Mini-invasive surgery assisted by Da Vinci® robot for a recurrent paravertebral schwannoma

More and more surgeons are changing their surgical procedures by using mini-invasive technology with the aim of reducing morbidity. Robotized technology for the surgery of narrow spinal space, for the resection of intervertebral foramen tumor, is a valuable option that should be considered. The authors report the case of a patient who underwent robotic surgery for the treatment of a paravertebral schwannoma and show the benefits of this approach.

A 53-year-old man was treated, in 1995, via an open right latero-thoracic approach for a T8-T9 thoracic schwannoma with a complete resection. Twenty years later, the patient complained of recurrent T8-T9 thoracic pain with unilateral radicular irradiation related to a recurrent schwannoma with a right foraminal extension. Using robotic technology (Da Vinci®), a complete resection was achieved and confirmed by a postoperative MRI. The patient, who was free of neurological symptoms, discharged the hospital at day 2.

Robot-assisted surgery by Da Vinci® robot is a very useful approach for the treatment of spinal paravertebral schwannoma. Thanks to multi-directional arms and 3D vision, this technology is safe and effective about quality of resection. The use of mini-invasive technology should be routinely discussed for lesions in that specific location.