Mediastinal Neurofibroma Originating from the Left Intrathoracic Phrenic Nerve: Report of a Case

Abstract

We report a case of mediastinal neurofibroma originating from the left phrenic nerve in a 42-year-old woman who was referred to us after a routine chest X-ray showed a smooth, round abnormal shadow in the left middle lung field adjacent to the heart. We resected a 25 x 20 x 20-mm tumor by video-assisted thoracic surgery. Histopathological examination confirmed that the lesion was a mediastinal neurofibroma originating from the left phrenic nerve without von Recklinghausen's disease. Neurogenic mediastinal tumors originating from the phrenic nerve are very rare, and to the best of our knowledge, no other case of a mediastinal neurofibroma originating from the phrenic nerve in a patient without von Recklinghausen's disease has ever been reported.

Giant intercostal nerve schwannoma in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 2

“…It originates most commonly in the extremities, head, and neck, but different sites have been reported. 1-10 About 20%–30% of all mediastinal tumors are neurogenic in origin, the most common being schwannoma and neurofibroma that usually develop in the posterior mediastinum. About 5% of those tumors arose in the thoracic wall and originate from the intercostal nerve.…”

“…Schwannoma is an uncommon peripheral nerve sheath tumor originating most commonly in the extremities, head, and neck. 1-7 Most intrathoracic neurogenic tumors grow in the posterior mediastinum, with 5.4% arising in the thoracic wall. 8-10 Therefore, intercostal schwannoma are uncommonly encountered.…”

Mediastinal Neurofibroma Originating from the Pulmonary Branch of the Right Vagus Nerve in a Patient without von Recklinghausen Disease

“…Neurogenic tumors of the mediastinum constitute 20 to 30% of all mediastinal tumors. 1 Most neurogenic tumors are schwannomas located on the intercostal or intrathoracic phrenic nerves. 2 Although a primary tumor of the intrathoracic vagus nerve is rare, a neurofibroma originating from the vagus nerve is often associated with von Recklinghausen disease.…”

“…2,3 Tumors originating from the vagus nerve and not associated with von Recklinghausen disease have been reported to have an incidence rate of approximately 0.1%. [1][2][3] Saito et al reported that with the exception of their one case, they were unable to find any other report in the literature of a mediastinal neurofibroma originating from the phrenic nerve in patients without von Recklinghausen disease. 1 We present a rare case of a neurofibroma originating from the pulmonary branch of the right vagus nerve in a patient without von Recklinghausen disease.…”

A Giant Atypical Neurofibroma in the Right Thoracic Cavity of a 57-Year-Old Man: A Case Report with Review of the Literature

“…4,5 On the other hand, 73.5% of intrathoracic neurogenic tumors in the adult are nerve sheath tumors and most are benign, including ganglioneuroma, schwannoma, and neurofibroma. 1,3,4 In most cases, they are clinically asymptomatic and surgically removable. Although several cases of intrathoracic giant malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor have been reported, only one case of a benign giant intrathoracic neurofibroma is published in the literature.…”