Horner's syndrome from giant schwannoma of the cervical sympathetic chain: case report.

OBJECTIVES

Nerve sheath tumours are uncommon lesions in adults. Schwannomas originating from the cervical sympathetic chain are a rare subgroup of nerve sheath tumours. Moreover, the existence of Horner's Syndrome before surgery is uncommon, with only five cases reported in the literature. Here we review the presentation, imaging characteristics, and operative considerations of a patient with a large cervical sympathetic chain schwannoma, presenting with Horner's Syndrome. A 60-year-old woman with a left upper eyelid ptosis presented to our outpatient department complaining of a painless left-sided neck mass.

RESULTS

Histopathologic examination of excised mass, which was nearly 9.0 cm x 7.0 cm x 6.0 cm, revealed a benign schwannoma.

CONCLUSION

When dealing with cervical masses, schwannoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis, especially when some neurological symptoms exist.