Search

Objective: To investigate the clinical presentation, diagnostic strategy, treatment approach, and postoperative morbidity of neurogenic tumors in the neck region, which are rarely observed and cannot be easily distinguished from other masses of this region. Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis of the medical data of patients with histopathologically confirmed neurogenic tumors who underwent surgery at the otorhinolaryngology department over the 20 years from 2000 to 2019. Results: Twenty-one patients were evaluated. Fifteen (71%) of them were women and 6 (29%) were men, with ages of 0-75 years. Out of 21 cases, 19 (90%) were benign, while 2 (10%) cases had malignant histology. Of the patients, 14 (67%) were diagnosed with peripheral nerve sheath tumors, 5 (24%) with ganglion cell tumors, and 2 (9%) with paraganglion cell tumors. The most common presentation symptom was neck swelling. Other symptoms included pain and numbness in the arm, dyspnea, dysphagia, and snoring. Postoperative morbidities included Horner’s syndrome, vocal cord palsy, and motor weakness of the upper limp. While fine-needle aspiration cytology was not diagnostic in any of the patients. Conclusion: Neurogenic tumors located in the neck are extremely rare. Differential diagnoses of these tumors are critical to provide patients with information about possible postoperative neurological deficits and other morbidities. Neither imaging methods nor preoperative biopsies can provide clear information about the definitive diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 21-year-old man with previous asthma diagnosis was admitted to our clinic due to dyspnea. An abnormality was observed on the cardiac borders in posteroanterior chest x-ray. Computed tomography of the thorax showed a 25X11 mm, lobulated, smooth-edged mass in the left main bronchus. The pulmonary function test indicated a restrictive pattern. A fiber-optic bronchoscopy was performed, indicating a polypoid endobronchial mass with a pedicle obstructing almost all the lumen of the left main bronchus, 1-2 cm away from the carina. The biopsy result from the lesion was consistent with schwannoma. Pulmonary schwannomas are rare and benign tumors and are derived from the nerve sheaths. The current study presents a case of endobronchial schwannoma associated with pectus excavatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]