Symptomatic schwannoma of the abdominal wall: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Schwannoma is a rare, benign tumor that arises from the nerve sheath. This tumor usually involves the extremities, but can also be found in the head and neck, trunk, pelvis, retroperitoneum, mediastinum and gastrointestinal tract. In numerous cases, the tumors are asymptomatic and are identified incidentally on physical examination or imaging. Occasionally, schwannoma is symptomatic due to compression of surrounding large nerves. In the present study, a 57-year-old female presented to the surgical outpatient’s department due to a well-localized parietal pain in the left lower quadrant. The onset of the pain occurred three years prior to presentation, without apparent cause and in the absence of other symptoms. Ultrasound and a computed tomography scan revealed a small solid tumor in the anterior abdominal wall, which was dimensionally stable over time, but was not noted in a preliminary analysis by a radiologist. The lesion was surgically removed using an anterior surgical approach. Histopathology revealed the tumor to be benign schwannoma. The painful symptoms completely disappeared. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third case of an abdominal wall benign schwannoma in the medical literature, and the first symptomatic case.

Schwannomas de músculo oblicuo y recto anterior: tumores de pared abdominal poco frecuentes

“…Al igual que los neurofibromas, que también se originan en los nervios periféricos, son más frecuentes en pacientes con neurofibromatosis (1,4,5).…”

“…Su incidencia es mayor en mujeres y las localizaciones más frecuentes son cabeza, cuello y extremidades (se originan en pares craneales y médula espinal) (1,2,4,5). Existen descritas otras localizaciones menos frecuentes, como retroperitoneo, mediastino, pelvis, glándulas suprarrenales, riñones, vagina y pared abdominal (1)(2)(3)(4)(5).…”

“…Existen descritas otras localizaciones menos frecuentes, como retroperitoneo, mediastino, pelvis, glándulas suprarrenales, riñones, vagina y pared abdominal (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). La pared abdominal es una localización poco frecuente de este tipo de tumores: tras realizar una búsqueda bibliográfica, solo encontramos cinco casos descritos (1-5).…”

SchwannomeDe La Paroi Abdominale, A Propos D’un Cas

“…Cependant, quand ils deviennent assez volumineux, ils peuvent comprimer le nerf dont ils prennent naissance ou ceux de voisinage et causer ainsi des douleurs ou des paresthésies. (6).…”

“…A l'immunohistochimie, les cellules tumorales sont PS100 (+) (7). Le traitement de choix est l'exérèse chirurgicalecomplète avec des marges saines (6).Le pronostic de ces lésions est bon, la récidive est inhabituelle et la transformation maligne est extrêmement rare. (6).…”