Schwanoma of the cervical sympathetic chain: A case report

Any cranial, peripheral, or autonomic nerve in the body can give rise to a benign, slowly growing encapsulated nerve sheath tumor known as a schwannoma. The majority of parapharyngeal extracranial schwannomas, which typically have vagal origins, are located there. When they first appear, most swannomas are asymptomatic. Vague symptoms may be present in some people.

She is a 35-year-old Ethiopian female patient presented with left lateral neck swelling of 11 years duration which was initially small but gradually increases to attain the current size. Associated with the swelling she had had dull aching pain in the same area. On examination, there was a 5*4 cm non-tender hard mass over the left cervical area which had an irregular border, fixed to the underlying structure but not to the overlying skin. Investigations were suggestive of cervical schwannoma. Finally, the patient was operated on and discharged improved.

The majority of schwannomas are solitary, however they can also be multifocal and plexiform when they are associated with neurofibromatosis. Schwannomas are typically asymptomatic until late in the course of the disease, when neurologic symptoms brought on by compression of the adjacent nerve may develop. The most popular diagnostic techniques for schwannomas include computed tomography (CT), MRI, ultrasonography, and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC).

Cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas are uncommon tumors that typically manifest as asymptomatic unilateral neck masses without Horner's syndrome. For the diagnosis of cervical sympathetic chain schwannoma, imaging tests are crucial.