Case report: concurrent sigmoidectomy and schwannoma resection in a patient with recurrent diverticulitis

Benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors are growths that develop in the protective sheath that surround peripheral nerves. In rare circumstances, they can cause mass effect on surrounding structures intra-abdominally. We report an otherwise healthy 62-year-old female who presented for constipation and recurrent bouts of diverticulitis. The patient had known about her nerve sheath tumor but did not want it removed. The initial plan was to perform a robotic Sigmoidectomy; however, this was not feasible given the size of the tumor intra-operatively. The procedure was subsequently aborted. A multi-disciplinary team of vascular surgery, neurosurgery, and colorectal surgery then took the patient to the operating room for an open resection of the schwannoma and concurrent sigmoidectomy. There have only been several staged attempts described in the literature, but none that describe simultaneous resection of both the nerve sheath tumor and the sigmoid colon.