Schwannoma of tongue base treated with transoral carbon dioxide laser

Abstract

Schwannomas are benign slow growing solitary tumours of nerve sheath origin and can arise from any myelinated nerve. They have been reported to occur in most parts of the body with the highest incidence (25%) in the head and neck region, although tongue base lesions are rare. The tumour is resistant to radiotherapy, and therefore, the treatment of choice is surgery. We present a case of a tongue base schwannoma which was completely extirpated with a carbon dioxide laser via the transoral approach. The patient experienced virtually no morbidity from the use of the laser. Whilst tongue base schwannoma has been documented, we could not find an earlier report in the English literature describing our method of treatment. We conclude that transoral carbon dioxide laser can be added to the surgical armamentarium for the management of other similar cases in the future.