Intraventricular schwannoma in a 15-year-old adolescent: a case report

Abstract

This case report illustrates a right occipital horn schwannoma in a 15-year-old adolescent boy who was successfully treated with surgical resection and discusses the possible origins of the tumor in this unique location.

Supratentorial intraventricular schwannoma of the choroid plexus

“…It has also been suggested that intra-axial schwannomas could arise from neural crest cells displaced into the nervous system as a result of failed migration in embryonic life 1 . This disordered embryogenesis theory may account for the relationship between intraventricular schwannomas and other neurocutaneous syndromes such as neurofibromatosis, Hirschprung's disease, and Waardenburg's syndrome 3,6 .…”

“…Therefore, the occurrence of a nerve sheath tumour in central nervous tissue is unexpected 1.2 . There are eleven case reports of ventricular schwannomas 3,[7][8][9] . The majority of these were located in either the lateral or fourth ventricles [4][5][6][7] .…”

“…As the autonomic nerves are associated with Schwann cells, this has led to the theory that primary intraventricular schwannomas may arise from the autonomic nervous tissue of the plexus choroids [3][4][5][6][7][8] . It has also been suggested that intra-axial schwannomas could arise from neural crest cells displaced into the nervous system as a result of failed migration in embryonic life 1 .…”

“…Genetic syndromes are suggested by the presence of either unusual histologic variants of schwannoma and multiple schwannomas. Plexiform schwannoma and schwannomatosis are characteristic of neurofibromatosis type II 3 .…”

“…A variety of intraventricular tumours can be found, with the differential diagnosis depending upon the location in the ventricular system [2][3][4] . In the lateral ventricles, the more common intraventricular tumours are meningiomas, astrocytomas and ependymomas, whereas choroid plexus papillomas and carcinomas, subependymomas and dermoid cysts are rare 3,5 .…”