[A case of benign multiple neurilemmomas in the mediastinum and the chest wall]

A 55-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of the increase in the size of a left posterior mediastinal tumor after 5 years of observation. The patient also had a chest wall tumor on her left back which had 20 year's history. CT findings suggested the mediastinal tumor and the chest wall tumor were connected through the 4th intercostal space. Pathological specimen obtained by a needle biopsy of the chest wall tumor showed neurilemmoma-like lesion, but malignancy could not be ruled out. With a left posterolateral thoracotomy we removed the mediastinal tumor measuring 3 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm and the extra-thoracic chest wall tumor measuring 7 x 3.5 x 3.5 cm. Intra-operative findings showed these tumors arising from the 4 th intercostal nerve separately had no relevancy. Histological examination of both tumors revealed benign neurilemmoma. Postoperative clinical course was uneventful.