Schwannoma of the nasal cavity: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Sinonasal schwannoma (SNS) is a rare entity with 4% occurring at this location and only 36 cases described in the literature. A 22-year-old woman presented recurrent unilateral epistaxis, hyposmia, unilateral nasal obstruction, and hemicranial headache for a year. The endoscopic examination showed a tissue mass filling the left nasal cavity and nasopharynx. Imaging showed a mass that occupied the left posterior ethmoid cells in the hyposignal T1, hyposignal T2, and gadolinium enhancing. A preoperative biopsy was made and the diagnosis was a schwannoma. The tumor mass was completely removed under general anesthesia. The final histopathological study reconfirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma. Six months after surgery, control endoscopic and imaging showed the absence of tumor recurrence. SNS is a rare entity and its diagnosis is generally based on a histological examination. Therefore, the possibility of schwannoma must be considered in front of a mass of the nasal fossa.