Resecting a solitary cervical vagal nerve neurofibroma via endoscopic surgery: a case report

Neurofibromas predominately consist of Schwann cells and fibroblasts, which mainly originate from neurofibromatosis type 1. However, solitary cervical vagal nerve neurofibroma (VNN) has rarely been reported in previously published literature. Additionally, the onset of VNN is characteristically chronic, asymptomatic, and insidious, and is often discovered unexpectedly through physical examination or imaging. The exact etiology and pathogenesis of VNN are yet to be clarified and need further exploration. Consequently, the definitive diagnosis of VNN mainly depends on pathological and immunohistochemical examinations. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells are positive for transcription factor S-100, SRY-related HMG-box (SOX)-10, and vascular marker CD34 will contribute to the diagnosis of VNN. In this uncommon case of left cervical VNN, the patient received comprehensive radiological evaluation before the operation and then underwent mass resection through endoscopic surgery via an axillary and chest wall approach. The patient was satisfied with the postoperative appearance of the neck. Besides, no postoperative complications or recurrence were observed during the consecutive six-month follow-up. Therefore, the successful application of total endoscopic surgery via the bilateral axilla-breast approach (BABA) on this case of neurogenic tumor presents new insights into expanding the operative indications of this technique, which could be a rational candidate for this kind of neck tumor with the requirements of satisfactory aesthetic appearance.