Rare Schwannomas of Head and Neck and Review of Literature

Benign schwannoma is a slow growing encapsulated tumor arising from the sheath of Schwann, The majority had extra-cranial localization. We report in this review three cases of a rare extra cranial localization of benign schwannoma in the trachea, frontal sinus and intraparotid facial nerve. The first case diagnosed in a 10-years-old boy, presented with a painless, slow growing mass evolving for three years in the left parotidic region, total conservative parotidectomy was done. The second case concerned a 38-years-old, was admitted to the emergency department with acute inspiratory dyspnea, endoscopic exploration revealed a polylobed tracheal tumor, complete tumor excision was done endoscopically. The third case was about a 33 years old patient, presented a gradually enlarging frontal swelling associated with headache and left nasal obstruction, the endoscopic examination revealed a gray pinkish, smooth and firm soft tissue mass occupying the entire left nasal cavity, CT scan and MRI were requested to assess the characteristics and extent of the tumor, The surgical intervention combined two approaches: trans facial through a mid-frontal incision, and endonasal one. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of benign schwannoma in all these cases.