Tumors of the cranial nerves

Abstract

The most frequent tumors of the cranial nerves are referred to as schwannomas (formerly neuromas). They may develop in most cranial nerves, except I and II, which do not have Schwann cells, except for very rare cases of ectopic pediatric olfactory schwannomas. CNSs account for 8% of intracranial tumors. The incidence is rising since the distribution of MRI became widespread. The incidence of the most common CNS, the vestibular schwannoma (VS), is estimated to be 1.3 (per 100,000 inhabitants per year) nowadays compared with 0.8 in the period between 1976 and 1983 [77]. Furthermore, the incidence of CNS is higher in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.