Asphyxial death caused by a laryngeal schwannoma: a case report

Abstract

Neurogenic tumours of the larynx are unusual, with approximately 115 cases reported in the literature to date. Most of these lesions are benign, solitary submucosal nodules which present with hoarseness and are amenable to surgical resection. We present a case of a large pedunculated schwannoma arising in the aryepiglottic fold associated with sudden asphyxial death in an otherwise healthy young female.

Laryngeal Schwannoma Excision by Lateral Pharyngotomy

“…One case of asphyxial death due to laryngeal schwannoma is reported. 4 The true vocal cord on the affected side is usually immobile or hypomobile 5 from the bulk of the tumor, although some authors report normal mobility. 6 In many cases the bulky supraglottic tumor obstructs the view of the true vocal cord on one or both sides, as in this case total laryngeal inlet is obscured by the mass.…”

Schwannoma of the larynx: case report

“…Sanghvi et al [6] suggested that schwannomas arise from the perineural Schwann cells of a peripheral nerve and grow eccentrically away from the nerve trunk. Schwannomas are solitary and encapsulated whereas neurofibromas are nonencapsulated, usually asymptomatic, and may be associated with von Recklinghausen's syndrome [3,4]. Therefore in the presence of neurofibromatosis a neurofibroma must be seriously considered.…”

“…Also in contrast to neurofibromas, which contain a mixture of cell types, schwannomas consist almost exclusively of Schwann cells. Immunohistochemical staining for S-100 protein is used to identify tumours of Schwann cell origin [3,4,7]. According to Enzinger and Weiss [2] the diagnosis of a schwannoma is made by three criteria: 1)-The tumour has a capsule, 2) It contains Antoni A and Antoni B areas, and 3) the S-100 reaction is positive.…”

“…They are presumed to arise from the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve [8]. The tumour contains two types of histologically different areas which are classified as Antoni types A and B [3,4,7]. Reports of such tumours and descriptions of the approaches used to excise them have appeared sporadically in the literature since the first report by New and Erich [5] in 1938.…”

An Unusual Cause of Sleep Apnea: Laryngeal Schwannoma

“…Stridor and dyspnea are the late findings 4 . As a result of acute respiratory failure, death was reported only once in the literature 5 .…”