Ectopic schwannoma of the lateral ventricle: case report and review of the literature

Excerpt

Schwannomas, which originate from Schwann cells, are mostly benign entities, accounting for approximately 8% of the tumors of the central nervous system (CNS), with acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) being the most common. Less than 1% of schwannomas occur in the brain parenchyma or ventricle [1, 2]. The nerve fibers in the CNS are not wrapped in Schwann cells. Consequently, schwannomas that occur in the parenchyma or ventricle of the brain are also known as ectopic schwannomas (ES) [3]. ES of the lateral ventricle are very rare. Since the first report describing ES of the lateral ventricle by David in 1965 [4], there have been only 21 cases reported in the English literature. The ages of the patients in these cases were between 8 and 68 years, with a median age of 21 years. Only one case involved malignant biological behavior in the literature [5], with metastasis to the cerebellar angle and cerebellum occurring seven months after the operation. We report the case of a woman with ES in the right lateral ventricle who experienced dizziness and headache for two years, with exacerbation of the symptoms over one month. The present study aimed to review the relevant literature of all ES of the lateral ventricle, and to summarize and analyze the clinical manifestation, pathological and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features, to improve the understanding of ES of the lateral ventricle. …