Intramedullary schwannoma - A case report

Abstract

Background: Schwannomas are benign but clinically progressive tumors. Mostly, they present as intradural extramedullary lesions. They are quite rare in the intramedullary (IM) region. We report a case of IM schwannoma. Case Description: A 52-year-old gentleman presented with a history of gait instability and numbness in bilateral lower limbs. He had clinical signs of myelopathy. His magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) dorsal spine was done that showed an intradural IM lesion at the level of D11, with one differential of ependymoma. Near total resection of lesion was done and histopathology reported it schwannoma. Conclusion: Preoperative radiologic assessment for IM spinal lesions is difficult and high degree of suspicion should be present when approaching a patient with somatic pain and IM lesion on MRI, keeping in mind one differential of IM schwannoma.