A giant plexiform schwannoma of the brachial plexus: case report

Sho Kohyama; Yuki Hara; Yasumasa Nishiura; Tetsuya Hara; Tanefumi Nakagawa; Naoyuki Ochiai

doi:10.1186/1749-7221-6-9

Journal of Brachial Plexus and Peripheral Nerve Injury, Table of Contents

J Brachial Plex Peripher Nerve Inj 2011; 06(01): e48-e53
DOI: 10.1186/1749-7221-6-9

Case report

Kohyama et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

A giant plexiform schwannoma of the brachial plexus: case report^[*]

Sho Kohyama

¹Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Tsukuba, Graduate school of Comprehensive Human Sciences, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan

,

Yuki Hara

¹Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Tsukuba, Graduate school of Comprehensive Human Sciences, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan

,

Yasumasa Nishiura

¹Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Tsukuba, Graduate school of Comprehensive Human Sciences, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan

,

Tetsuya Hara

²Showa University Hospital, 1-5-8, Hatanodai, Shinagawa, Tokyo 142-8666, Japan

,

Tanefumi Nakagawa

³Senpo Tokyo Kowa Hospital, 3-10-11, Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo 100-8066, Japan

,

Naoyuki Ochiai

¹Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Tsukuba, Graduate school of Comprehensive Human Sciences, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan

› Author Affiliations
Subject Editor:

Abstract

We report the case of a patient who noticed muscle weakness in his left arm 5 years earlier. On examination, a biloculate mass was observed in the left supraclavicular area, and Tinel’s sign caused paresthesia in his left arm. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a continuous, multinodular, plexiform tumor from the left C5 to C7 nerve root along the course of the brachial plexus to the left brachia. Tumor excision was attempted. The median and musculocutaneous nerves were extremely enlarged by the tumor, which was approximately 40 cm in length, and showed no response to electric stimulation. We resected a part of the musculocutaneous nerve for biopsy and performed latissimus dorsi muscle transposition in order to repair elbow flexion. Morphologically, the tumor consisted of typical Antoni A areas, and immunohistochemistry revealed a Schwann cell origin of the tumor cells moreover, there was no sign of axon differentiation in the tumor. Therefore, the final diagnosis of plexiform Schwannoma was confirmed.

Keywords

brachial plexus - giant - plexiform schwannoma

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References

References
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A giant plexiform schwannoma of the brachial plexus: case report[*]

A giant plexiform schwannoma of the brachial plexus: case report^[*]