Orbital Abducens Nerve Schwannoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Intraorbital schwannoma is a rare tumor which accounts for about 1–2% of all neoplasms of the orbit. Orbital schwannomas most commonly arise from the sensory branches of the trigeminal nerve. On the other hand, intraorbital abducens nerve schwannomas are extremely rare, with a search of the English literature identifying only four cases of intraorbital abducens nerve schwannoma. This is the 5th reported case of an orbital schwannoma arising from the terminal branch of the abducens nerve to the lateral rectus muscle. We report a case of an intraorbital abducens nerve schwannoma in a 51-year-old man with no signs of neurofibromatosis. The tumor was totally excised with functional preservation of the nerve by a zygomatic approach with lateral orbitotomy. With knowledge of these anatomic features, total removal of the tumor with preservation of the abducens nerve function might be possible.

Síndrome de pseudo-Duane secundario a Schwannoma de nervio abducens: Reporte de caso y revisión

“…El uso de neuroimágenes es muy útil para su diagnóstico, pero su diagnóstico final está basado en la histología y en la respuesta clínica a la cirugía (Li et al, 2015). Casos extracavernosos se han resecado por distintas vías, generalmente por un abordaje retrosigmoídeo suboccipital lateral simple, con recuperación potencial de la función nerviosa (Lida et al, 2016). pseudo-Duane especialmente por la disminución de hendidura palpebral en aducción en vez de abducción.…”

Orbital Schwannoma: Case Report and Review

“…Orbital schwannomas are rare, presenting frequency between 1 and 5% of all orbit neoplasms, with age variation from 20 to 70 years old and without gender prevalence. [1][2][3]6 In general, schwannomas originate from sensory nerves. In the case of orbital schwannomas, it is not different, with the supratrochlear and supraorbital nerves being the ones most frequently affected.…”

“…Among the cranial nerves, the vestibule-cochlear is most commonly affected one, with an incidence of 8 to 10% of all intracranial tumors. [1][2][3] Orbital schwannomas are rarely described in the literature, presenting between 1 and 5% of all orbital neoplasms. The orbital nerves more commonly involved are trigeminal branches, like the supratrochlear and supraorbital nerves.…”

Intraorbital Abducens Nerve Schwannoma- A Case Report

“…Those arising from the infraorbital nerve are in inferior quadrant. 1,10 They generally appear in patients between 20 to 70 years of age. 11 When small, they are mostly asymptomatic.…”