Sporting Injuries - An Unusual Case of a Traumatic Schwannoma Presenting on the Upper Lip of a Professional Footballer, a Case Report

Abstract

Schwannomas are benign tumors that typically arise from the perineural Schwann cells responsible for the production of the insulting sheath called myelin with only 1% occurring intraorally. We present and report a rare case of a schwannoma presenting on the upper lip of a 29-year-old male professional footballer who was referred to OMFS clinic after with a persistent swelling on his upper lip following trauma to the face 1 year ago. The treatment for benign schwannoma consists of total surgical excision. However, recurrences as well as the malignant transformation are rare events. It is possible that other disorders may appear with similar clinical picture, so the need for a biopsy of the suspected lesion cannot be emphasized enough to rule out other conditions. The differential diagnoses of schwannomas include lesions such as lipomas, hemangiomas, eosinophilic granuloma, epidermoid and dermoid cysts, epithelial hyperplasia, granular cell tumour, leiomyoma, and lymphangioma.